Feb 26, 2017 |
Frankly, on Faith: Five Minutes
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
God is extravagant. He is Almighty. Eternal. Ultimate. Substantial. He is everything.
He is also personal. Intimate. Up close.
I often shy away from time with God because I can’t give him an hour of focus. Those are precious sixty minutes in which my mind will, after the first few, begin to wander. Plot. Plan. Apologize.
Dear God. I can’t focus. I’m sorry. Let me start over.
And it begins again.
How much time can you spend with God without looking at the clock?
I failed. I’m obviously not a good person because I can’t keep the world from coming in and interfering. You say it takes practice, discipline. But I know I’ll never get there. I’d best not waste our time by even trying.
When my daughter calls, I answer. If she can only speak for a minute, I welcome it. Because she thought enough to check in, say hi, let me know she loves me.
When my cat climbs onto my chair, I let her warm my feet or side for however long she stays. She’s not a failure when she leaves.
So why don’t I believe that God, in His much greater capacity for love and care, would accept whatever time offering I can give Him?
Would He rather I pretend to pray for thirty minutes or more, just counting ticks on the clock while being distracted? Or does He want all of my attention in whatever increments I can give?
“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the LORD, and a thousand years is like a day.”
~2 Peter 3:8, NLT
My soul longs to be authentic to, for, and with God. I will give Him what I truly can, and trust He is by my side when the world beckons me to responsibility.
As I spend time with Him, the more opportunities I find to do so. He is a beautiful, never-ending circle. And we are smack dab in the middle of His grip.
CLICK TO TWEET: Frankly, on Faith: Can you give God just five minutes of your time?
With a stopwatch and Heavenly circumference,
~Molly Jo
Frankly, On Faith: Can you give God five minutes?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Feb 19, 2017 |
Frankly, On Faith: This is the LORD’s Battle
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
Ever feel like you’re just not properly equipped to get through life? If only there was more money. If only I had someone to share the load. If only that person was nicer, or this person understood. If only we had more to give, we could give.
“If only.” Two of the most hurtful words in our vocabulary. They take away our incentive and our power. They limit us, hold us back from our potential.
I read the story of David and Goliath recently, and was touched by several key points:
- Don’t let how others see you dictate your life.
David was young and small, a gentler person. The soldiers thought he couldn’t do anything. But David was the one who slayed the giant.
- Their coping skills are not your own.
Saul dressed David in fine armor, but it didn’t work for David. He chose what he knew: His sling and a few stones.
- Keep going in the face of adversity.
His brothers, Saul, and the soldiers told him to stop. But David knew he was on the right path. He kept moving forward. Even when the giant came out to fight him.
- Let your faith be your light.
David knew God was with him. When the others tried to stop him, even through misguided protection and concern, David knew what he was doing was his calling. He didn’t doubt it for a second, and he didn’t let others take that from him.
- Give God room to work!
David only had his sling. He knew God would throw the stones. And it only took one.
“This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
~1 Samuel 17:47
It’s okay to pick up the weapons God has given you, and take those small steps toward making things better. God is bigger than your giant, and He’ll always guide your stones.
“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
CLICK TO TWEET: Frankly, On Faith: Give God room to work. David only had a slingshot.
With a slingshot and some peanuts,
~Molly Jo
Frankly, On Faith: Give God room to work.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Feb 9, 2017 |
Jacqueline Patterson’s Key to Success
by Jacqueline Patterson @jacpatterson
Frankly, My Dear . . . Jacqueline Patterson’s Key to Success
“The more we work to help others,
the more we begin to enjoy the life we’re living.”
I raised my heavy-lidded gaze from the laptop screen and the quote on the coffee cup stared back at me. Like I really have time!
My eyes shifted to the blinking light on the phone, the sure indication that yet more messages were waiting for me.
I couldn’t take care of the rest of the world.
I turned my phone so I could no longer see the blinking light.
I had too much to do, too much to plan and consider and rewrite if I hoped to finish my book by my self-imposed deadline. After all, this was my story, my words, and that meant my work was most important, right?
Right.
And I wouldn’t let this distract me.
I turned back to my laptop, but my fingers were lead on the keyboard. I added a solitary word here, a phrase there, but my gaze continued to stray back to the quote.
“The more we work to help others . . .”
“No,” I said, and my voice was firm with resolve. “You will finish this story.” My friends would take care of themselves, the way they had a hundred times before. I would pray for them, then check up on them once I finished these edits. Surely things weren’t so severe they needed me right now.
I started at the half-empty page on the screen, and found myself rereading the words I had added since spotting the quote. Most were repetitions, rambling and distracted. How long had I been locked into this writing frenzy anyway? Days? Weeks? I couldn’t remember the last time I sought out contact with a friend other than with a quick writing question. I had simply burrowed away into my writing shell, where all that mattered was my story . . . and me.
As if friendship wasn’t even important.
But . . . Wasn’t it my duty to put my book first? After all, I was the one who went around reminding everyone they were the only ones who could write their story, and how would it look if I didn’t keep up my reputation for busyness? I shouldn’t step back from my writing. Even for an hour.
I had work to do.
I glanced between my laptop and my phone, my mind rebelling as I made my decision.
There would be time to work on my book later. I would always make time. There were no guarantees that all my friends would last until tomorrow.
The key to success was not to push myself forward, but to care for others. Even my writing was not for myself, as much as I wanted to hold to the comfort of that illusion. Why seek publication except to reach others?
It would be an empty journey without friendship. Without sharing dreams.
I closed my laptop and reached for my phone.
CLICK TO TWEET: Frankly, My Dear: Jacqueline Patterson’s Key to Success.
Jacqueline Patterson
Jacqueline Patterson wrote her first book at the age of five: the tale of an assassin hen on the trail of a crafty fox. (OK, so the story wasn’t that epic, but the hen was mean.) That first story hooked her, and she hasn’t stopped since. She is currently editing Primate, the first book in her Forever in Time series, in the hope of publication . . . If she can ever convince herself that she’s found the perfect draft. Talk to Jacqueline about books, and she will be your friend forever. You can connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
