A few weeks ago I received a phone call from a friend telling me that the man I dated prior to my husband, the one that I have spoken about that broke my heart, had shared his testimony with his wife at Re-Engage at Lakepointe. After hearing it, I realized for the first time that there aren’t just two sides to every story, there are three. Ours, theirs and Gods. Our stories just go to show that we never know what God is doing in our or the lives of others when he takes things away. His hand is working miracles every single day and we have to trust Him even when we don’t understand. I hope that hearing the other side of this story gives everyone that sees it a glimpse of God’s handiwork. His love is a redeeming love and no matter where you have been, what you have done, or how many times you have screwed up, God’s love wins every single time!
Category: Personal Growth
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1 comment on The Handiwork of God
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Did you know that hidden within every strength, there lies your weakness? Or you can look at it the other way and within every weakness, discover your strength. When I performed this exercise, I found it to be very eye opening. Read through the list below and write down the numbers to the strengths you think you possess. Be honest with yourself. No one is going to see this but you and the more honest you are, the more you will gain.
1) Creative
2) Organized
3) Dedicated
4) Flexible
5) Enthusiastic
6) Calm
7) Reflective
8) Adventurous
9) Responsible
10) Positive
11) Realistic
12) Assertive
13) Humble
14) Self-Confident
15) Patient
16) Passionate
Now do the same thing with this list:
1) Disorganized
2) Inflexible
3) Stubborn
4) Inconsistent
5) Obnoxious
6) Emotionless
7) Shy
8) Irresponsible
9) Unrealistic
10) Negative
11) Negative
12) Intimidating
13) Weak
14) Arrogant
15) Indecisive
16) Impatient
The first tier of this exercise is to see which ones match up. Look at both lists of numbers and write down only the ones that were the same from both lists. For example, if you wrote down number 9 from both lists, you already know that your strength is being responsible. And you also know that you are boring, your weakness. The thing I love about this exercise is it reveals that sometimes it is okay to have weaknesses. Next time someone tells me I am boring, I will know that with that comes being responsible. And on the flip side, if I am being adventurous, I now know that my weakness at the moment is being irresponsible. This knowledge will help me to step back and make sure I am not doing something stupid in the moment.
The second tier in this lesson is to look back over both lists. Locate the numbers you wrote down and match them up with the correlating strength/weakness. Write the following sentence and fill in the blanks for each number you wrote down. “When I am _______, I am _______.” For example, if you wrote number 7 from the strengths list you would write, “When I am reflective, I am shy.” Or, “When I am shy, I am reflective.” Here is the list of the strengths/weaknesses:
1) Creative — Disorganized
2) Organized — Inflexible
3) Dedicated — Stubborn
4) Flexible — Inconsistant
5) Enthusiastic — Obnoxious
6) Calm — Emotionless
7) Reflective — Shy
8) Adventurous — Irresponsible
9) Responsible — Boring
10) Positive — Unrealistic
11) Realistic — Negative
12) Assertive — Intimidating
13) Humble — Weak
14) Self-Confident — Arrogant
15) Patient — Indecisive
16) Passionate — Impatient
Through analyzing our strengths and weaknesses, we learn more about who we are and why we do the things we do. This can also helps us understand why others do what they do, which can be a tremendous help in the work place as well as in our personal lives.
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So apparently I have been living under a rock. Due to a small accident over the weekend, we had to take our car in for repairs. I was provided with a rental, so I got in and to my surprise it has satellite radio. I was very excited that for the next few days I would get to listen to my favorite station, “The Message.” As I was browsing through in search of this channel, I came to one titled “Radio Sex.” Call me naive, but I thought it would be an informative station where they discuss things like how having a healthy sex life can improve your overall health and such. What I heard next nearly caused me to run off the road. It was a pornographic radio station. What? Is this seriously something people listen to on their commute to and from work? I couldn’t believe it. Never in a million years would I have thought that this world would get so perverted that we would resort to having porno radio. Isn’t it bad enough that anyone can access it on the internet from their own mobile device?
This just brought to my attention how important it is it guard our hearts and that includes not only what we see but what we hear as well. We live in a day and age of media overload and just because it is on doesn’t mean we should listen to it or watch it. We have to teach ourselves and our children to turn it off and never look back because Satan is out to destroy us little by little. What use to make us cringe has become acceptable and over time we have become desensitized to hearing and seeing things that we should never be subjecting our minds to.
So next time you turn on the radio, television, or use any media device, remember that what we put in our minds today will affect who we become tomorrow. Casting Crowns says it best in their song, “Slow Fade.”
Be careful little eyes what you see
It’s the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it’s the little feet behind you that are sure to followIt’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It’s a slow fade, it’s a slow fadeBe careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astrayIt’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a dayThe journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you’re thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinkingIt’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a dayOh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you seeI pray that God will give us the wisdom to see through His lenses and the courage to stand up for what is right when those around us have become desensitized to the things of this world that go against everything pure and noble and right.
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Anger Do’s:
Be Honest: “I am very angry with you right now.”
Be Kind: No name calling, belittling, devaluing allowed.
Be Direct: Useful anger is face to face, not a cowardly blow from behind.
Be Responsible: We own our anger. No one can “make” us angry.
Be Fair: Cruel jokes (in public and private) are off limits.
Be Contained: We don’t get back at others.
Be Controlled: We invite the Holy Spirit to take control of our anger
Be Interactive: Anger is expressed in relationship where it can be talked through.
Be Outward: No under-cover anger is healthy. Anger turned inward hurts us and others.
Be Real: It is dishonest to use our anger to manipulate others.
Anger Don’ts:
Passive Aggressive: Under-cover anger. Anger is presented in subtle ways—forgetfulness, chronic lateness, “accidents.” On the outside you seem pleasant and compliant. On the inside you are resentful. Those who express their anger in this way don’t feel safe or permitted to have anger or express it openly.Sarcasm: Speech designed to cut and wound. The word “sarcasm” is derived from a Greek word that means “to tear the flesh.” It is another way to express anger indirectly.
Verbal Abuse: Intentionally wounding another with our words. Name calling, belittling, devaluing, and humiliating are examples of verbal abuse.
Blaming: Blaming anger makes other people the problem and deflects personal responsibility. Blaming anger says, “You make me so angry!”
Guerilla Humor: Attacking someone verbally then smiling and saying something like, “Can’t you take a joke?” or “I’m just kidding.” Another indirect way of expressing anger.
Retaliatory Anger: Expressing your anger by getting even with someone who has wounded you–i.e. having an affair to show your spouse what it feels like or spending loads of money shopping because your spouse “owes” you.
Blind Rage: Intense anger usually acted out physically—hitting, smashing, destroying, etc.
Isolation: Withdrawing from relationship with the one who hurt you and/or from others altogether.
Anger as an Excuse: Secretly you want to leave or behave in a particular way, so you find a way to provoke a fight in other to justify your choice.
Shannon Vaut 