Take a Nap

by | Dec 25, 2024 | road blocks

WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?

LET’S BE GOOD-HEARTED (Day 4 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

What makes it harder for you to be good-hearted?

[Love] does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.  1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV

A lack of fairness? Exhaustion? Emotional hunger?

I get cranky when I’m tired. I just sort of run out of what I need to function well and hit a wall. Self-care becomes huge because I need the energy to make wiser choices when dealing with others.

WOMAN YAWNING

I’ll own I have a harder time not being irritable when dealing with not nice people. It’s hard to stay calm in the face of selfish people (they’re not being right or fair) or to stay kind when others are being rude. I want to be like Jesus in any situation instead of responding in (not so nice) kind. It’s a work in progress.

Take the day to look at your particular struggles. What can you learn from that?

I hope your day is full of joy and fun, time well spent with family & friends, and lots of pie.

APPLE PIE

Merry Christmas! May His blessing of calm and love settle on your homes today.

 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Image credits – woman yawning © Drobot Dean / Adobe Stock, pie © Pam Carter / Pixabay
We’re Donation Supported

Have a Heart

by | Dec 24, 2024 | first try

GIVE IT A TRY

LET’S BE GOOD-HEARTED (Day 3 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

Practice day!

[Love] does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.  1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV

Let’s take the day to practice being good-hearted and gracious.

MAKING HEART SHAPED COOKIES

When you feel irritation or resentfulness creeping into your mind and heart, pause. Then talk to God a bit and ask Him to help you settle and pull out kindness or thoughtfulness.

Where can you give a bit? What can you set down? Who needs a little loving and care? Points for making the day special for your spouse. 🙂

My husband is very brave (or a bit crazy, or perhaps a little of both).

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Last night, he took the three on-property grandkids to look at lights and eat french fries (a request from the boys). They had a lovely, albeit noisy, time. 🙂

 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Image credits – making heart shaped cookies © Pixabay.com, Christmas lights © Ali Chehade Farhat / Adobe Stock
We’re Donation Supported

How’s Your Journey?

by | Dec 23, 2024 | self-examination

SELF-EXAMINATION

LET’S BE GOOD-HEARTED  (Day 2 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

How easy is it for you to set down irritation?

[Love] does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.  1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV

Do others’ needs or wishes make you feel resentful?

IRRITATED WOMAN

Let’s take the day and talk to God about our attitudes. You know, the ones that slip in when things don’t go our way.

How is your journey toward good-heartedness going?

My son and family went shopping on Saturday (just the only day available to them).

And, yup, it was crazy. At one point it was a bit of a madhouse in a parking lot and my son said, “Merry Christmas!” kindly, but a little jokingly, to a man who got cut off by another shopper.

CROWDED PARKING LOT

So the rest of the day, my cutie 5-year-old grandson said “Merry Christmas!” to everyone he met. He’s an extrovert and everyone is his new best friend. He made the day a little nicer for many a shopper. Good on him.

 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Image credits – irritated woman © fizkes / Adobe Stock, crowded parking lot © PikePicture / Adobe Stock
We’re Donation Supported

Good Hearted

by | Dec 22, 2024 | concept

 

CONCEPT FOR THE WEEK

LET’S BE GOOD-HEARTED (Day 1 of 6)

Moving on in the love passage …

[Love] does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.  1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV

Tall order, huh? Especially when you consider we are in the Christmas week with all its complications and stresses.

UNHAPPY COUPLE AT CHRISTMAS TIME

Let’s spend the day talking to God about this scripture and what it looks like, both lived out well and not. What does irritation do to a situation? How does resentfulness impact relationships? Who do you know who is kinder and more willing to serve others?

The continuing adventures of Tilly …

TILLY AND THE TOWEL

Must. Find. The. Red. Dot! (In the meantime, I’ll just wrestle with this towel.)

 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Image credits – unhappy couple at Christmas time © Sebastian Gauert / Adobe Stock, Tilly and the towel © Paul / Doing Marriage Well
We’re Donation Supported

Preparedness

by | Dec 21, 2024 | let's chat

SAT AM COFFEE CHAT

Yesterday I mentioned we were about 33 hours without electricity. Winter weather had done some damage and, bless those electrical crews, they were out in the cold working hard to fix it all.

Periods of no electricity happen where we live. It doesn’t happen terribly often, but we know it will. Wisdom says to prepare for it, so we don’t wind up cold in the dark.

I mention this because I think preparedness as a concept is so important.

I’m all for spontaneity and being creative when life hits you unexpectedly, but life can be a whole lot easier if you have a cushion of preparation. Being prepared also means you can take advantage of opportunities much more easily.

GIFT BAG

Something as simple as having a small collection of gift bags and ribbon makes gift giving easier. Keeping certain staples in your pantry means you can whip up cookies as needed. Having what you need in your nightstand makes an afternoon of delight far easier and opens the door to spontaneity.

Do a little prep. Make life and marriage easier and more fun!

I think we broke our cat.

She’s a bit bored because she doesn’t want to spend time outside (snow, brrrr!), so to entertain her, Paul used a small red laser pointer to wear her out a bit. She batted and pounced and chased the red light until Paul wore out and put it away.

TILLY WAITING

Now she’s spends all her time sitting by the dehumidifier waiting for the red dot to reappear. It was there for a while. Surely it will show up again.

 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Image credits – gift bag ©Aninge Fetzer / Unsplash, Tilly waiting © Lori / Doing Marriage Well
We’re Donation Supported

He Gets All the Glory

by | Dec 20, 2024 | conclusions

MY THOUGHTS

CAN WE GET A LITTLE HUMILITY? –  (Day 6 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

How did your week go?

[Love] is not arrogant or rude.  1 Corinthians 13:4b-5a ESV

What did you learn?

I leaned that slowing down is a good thing for me. I’m a bottom-liner with few words. That can come across as abrupt and rude. Taking the time to add a few words or ask a question is kind and thoughtful.

I’ve also spent some time talking to God about how we fight for worth and value.

COUPLE FIGHTING FOR VALUE

Arrogance is about seeing yourself as having more worth and value than others. What is a right understanding of who we are in Him?

I like this scripture.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

Boasting is dumb. He’s the one who gets the glory for what He’s done. It has nothing to do with our works. No one is any better than another. God just deemed us all worthy of love and rescue.

Still giving that more thought so I can drop my need to prove my value and run from arrogance.

We went thirty-three hours without electricity (winter weather created a number of problems in our area).

GENERATOR

I was pretty happy at how we handled it. We learn more each time this happens. (Yes, it will happen again. We live out past the boonies in Washington state and winters are rough.)

That said, I’m real proud of Paul for wrestling with nature to keep us warm with a bit of light.

 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Image credits – couple fighting for value © pio3 / Adobe Stock, generator © Oleksandr / Adobe Stock
We’re Donation Supported