THANKFUL, THANKFUL and even more THANKFUL is what I am!  There is a peace of mind body and soul when you surrender fully to Gods promises.  The most important of all His promises to us is to love us unconditionally and forever.  I was recently confronted with some very sad news of a friend I taught with in my past two schools and actually met her my first year teaching.  She went home to be with Jesus after  battling cancer, for over 20 years I found out.  She was in her 40’s with a husband and children.  You would have never known her battle when you saw her because she always had a smile and masked her pain so very well.  She was holding onto the promises of God.  She knew these promises intimately because her life literally was on the brink of her last breath for a long time.  This discernment of her peace with God came from the Holy Spirit in me during a time of prayer for her family.  I did not know her well enough to know her relationship with Christ, which on my end I should have been more intent on sharing Jesus back then instead of focusing on Ole Woes Me!  My Woes are nothing to what my friend was going through.  We have to hold on to the promise God will take care of us as we reach out to those around us. They may just need a smile or a hug and sometimes even just a Hello!

As I am reflecting on my own life I decided to sit down and think about the impact God has allowed me to have in this vapor of a breath we call life.  By obedience in my younger years and not always in good standing of repenting of my sins, Jesus has touched so many lives through me.  Even in my darkness and brokenness He chose to use me.  I am truly humbled by His promise to love me and now as I transform willfully to His discipline and teaching I can sense a soul shift and growth in my life.  There is a difference in my peace of mind and in my humility toward Our Father.  I was recently reminded of my gift with kids, athletes, coaches and the such and I have wanted to run from that recently because I didn’t know how to give God my coaching mindset.  “How do I change that?” I would say, then I stop and look at all the changes that are already happening and realize, OH YEAH DUH!!  Give it to him!!

One of the convictions I was directed to by the Holy Spirit was many of the coaches I have crossed paths with over the years haven’t been reached out to by me because of me.  They wouldn’t talk to me so I wouldn’t talk to them.  I carried an ego and a chip on my shoulder but I think more and more I was just dealing with envy of others and a lot of “It’s All About Me!”  The funny thing is as we go around thinking people are thinking about us and we are not even a thought in those we are thinking about.  Instead of going with the flow I need to go against the flow and start to share the same promise that God has given me.  Let these coaches and kids know that God loves them dearly and be real and in the fire with them.  The more we know that God is in the fire and trenches with us the easier it becomes to love him back or better yet accept His love for us.

The reason for choosing to live this way is we are not promised our next breath so stop worrying about your tomorrow or your past or anything other than your today. Even in our today we should live moment by moment and not day by day.  As God is slow to anger we should be slow to grow in depth of his love and wisdom so that our soul is strengthened by every movement we make.  We cannot build on our past because it is finished and we cannot connect to our future because we don’t know it. All We Have Is Our Today!  We are called to take up our crosses daily because we need to be reminded of the only heaviness we should feel which is His love.  Truth be told that heaviness is a beautiful thing to carry and feel.  As I pray for my friends and family, I will be praying for all of you. That you live life abundantly as Jesus promised us and you can, with your last breath, say ” It Is Done!”  The peace of knowing you have given all your body, mind and soul to the One True God, The Lord Jesus Christ, who in all of His glory calls you His friend! Amen

One Love, One King, All Christ!