"GIVE ME A BREAK!"

By: Donna Selma Lind

GIVE ME A BREAK! No, really. GIVE ME A BREAK! Sometimes I just need a break!
Do you know what I am talking about? It's like I go, go, go and give, give, give till I'm on empty and I have nothing left. I'm spent, shot,wiped, overdrawn, burned out, tapped,bushed, wasted, tuckered, drained, done in and worn out! Are you getting the picture? GIVE ME A BREAK!

I admit I have a history of pushing myself past the E for empty on my physical gas tank.
 I know I should stop and rest, BUT... and that's my problem, I HAVE A BIG BUT! ( for all of you who are pointing and laughing right now I only used one "t"in But! :)
Yes, my BIG BUT always gets in the way! I'm going to stop cleaning and rest, BUT first I'm going to finish organizing this closet. I'm going to stop working in the garden, BUT before I quit I am going to weed one more row. I am going to take time to exercise today, BUT I have to vacuum and make some phone calls first. My BIG BUT is always getting in the way of my taking time to rest and relax, so I go until I hit the wall and then it takes me a lot longer time to re-coup! Is there anybody else out there that has a BIG BUT that gets in the way of taking a break and enjoying a little R & R?

For me it started when I was a kid, always an overachieving working bee. Never wanting to appear lazy. I enjoyed working hard for what I had and nobody ever gave me anything that I didn't earn or work for.That is all fine and dandy but if not balanced out with rest and fun, it is only a matter of time before we, I crash and burn.

Even Jesus took breaks. Jesus stopped and rested. Jesus got away from the crowds. Jesus took walks along the shores of Galilee and retreated to the garden, he went fishing, he took a nap in a boat.
I imagine there were times when even Jesus thought to himself; GIVE ME A BREAK! 
(paraphrasing of course)

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."

Genesis 2:2 "On the seventh day, he rested from all his work."

Mark 6:31 " Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

Exodus 33:14 The Lord replied "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Psalm 23 "He refreshes my soul."

Psalm 62:1 "Truly my soul finds rest in God."

No BUT'S about it! The Lord offers us rest and restoration throughout His Word.
So before our BUT'S get any bigger let's stop and take a break!

STEP AWAY FROM THE WORK! 
STEP AWAY FROM THE STRIVING! 
STEP AWAY FROM THE BUSYNESS! 

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."

SLOW ME DOWN LORD 
by: Wilifred A. Peterson

Slow me down Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills....

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations- of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to read a few lines from the good book....

Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

                                                        GIVE ME A BREAK!

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

Donna Selma Lind 

If these words have touched your heart please leave me a comment below . I would love for you to  share your thoughts with me. Thanks and Blessings! 💓

 

" DON'T GET YOUR UNDIES IN A BUNCH! "

By: Donna Selma Lind

DON'T GET YOUR UNDIES IN A BUNCH!

Can we talk? Can we talk about Anger Issues?

Do you ever have a problem with controlling your temper?

Have you ever been so irritated by someone that you felt like smacking them silly? Oh, don't get all "Holly Holy"on me now because you know you have, even if you don't want to admit it.

"For we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God."Romans 3:23

For most of my life I had a problem with Anger. I didn't know how to express or vent my anger because I was conditioned as a child to keep my emotions in. This continued throughout my first marriage which was very unhealthy for me because I was in an abusive marriage.

I stuffed my anger for over forty years and when I finally was free to express my anger it was explosive and caustic because I wasn't trained on how to control it. Once I let that anger loose I walked around with my undies in a bunch until I wasn't the only one irritated and uncomfortable!

"Anger is a universal, basic,normal unavoidable reaction of displeasure. It usually involves a significant portion of misunderstanding and has it's roots in our own unmet expectations." 

Paul Hegstrom

"Anger is a secondary emotion. It is a warning sign and an alarm to a primary emotion such as Fear, Hurt or Frustration."  

Gary Oliver

WHY ARE YOU ANGRY? {Fear-Hurt or Frustration?}

A - ANGER

N - NOT CONTROLLED

G - GERMINATES

E - EMOTIONAL

R - REACTIONS OF RAGE

Get a grip on Anger before it gets a grip on you!

IDENTIFY YOUR ANGER PERSONALITY

 When the heat is on in the kitchen are you a?

*CROCK POT- Stuff it all in savor and stew on it slow and steady.

*PRESSURE COOKER- Pressure builds up, then explodes!

*MICROWAVE- Heats up fast. Quick tempered. Always ready for a fight!

  RECIPE FOR ANGER :

*What are your parents Anger personalities?

*Were you allowed to express your emotions as a child? How?

*What made you angry as a child? What makes you angry now?

*Who pushes your buttons? Why?

*How do you express your anger now?

*Have you ever hurt someone because of your anger?      

Do you think now is a good time to apologize?

 NO MATTER HOW UPSET OR ANGRY WE ARE GOD GIVES US ANSWERS AND HELP ON HOW TO CONTROL AND OVERCOME ANGER.

"Be quick to listen,slow to speak and slow to become angry, for mans anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." James 1:19-20

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil." Ephesians 4:26

"Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11

LET'S GET COOKING WITH NEW INGREDIENTS

1) TIME OUT- Take a break. Walk away. Cool Off.

2) TALK TO GOD- Pray. Quiet down. Breathe.Bless and Forgive.

3) TEMPER TRIGGERS- ID the cause: Hurt, Frustration, Fear?

4) TAME IT- Self control. Journal.Walk. Exercise. Yard work. House work. Call a friend.

5) TURN IT AROUND- What's my part? Share responsibility.

6) TRY AGAIN- Come back: Listen. Don't Blame. Open heart.Soft voice. Focus on a solution, not the problem.

 RECIPE SWAP : 

REPLACE ANGER WITH THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT! 

"Love, joy, peace,patience, kindness,goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and SELF CONTROL."Galatians 5:22

"Anger is one letter short of danger." Eleanor Roosevelt

 Get a grip on your anger issues, before they get a grip on you and you hurt the ones you love!

SHARE THIS BLOG WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE OR SOMEONE YOU DON'T LOVE OR SOMEONE WHO HAS MADE YOU ANGRY! ;-)

KEEP CALM AND DON'T GET YOUR UNDIES IN A BUNCH!

HALLELUJAH! 

PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

Donna Selma Lind

" FAITHING THE GIANTS "

By: Donna Selma Lind

"FAITHING THE GIANTS"

I live with Giants. Or should I say Giants live with me. Yes, every day I am facing some Giant issue or colossal problem that seems like an impossibility to overcome. Most of the Giants live in my head (the battlefield.) Many Giants never make it out of my head they just re-surface from time to time whenever I am confronted with people or situations that seem impossible, that is when the Giants rear their ugly heads and the battle begins. Anxious thoughts, insecurities and fears play over and over like a video in my mind reminding me of failures and battles that I have lost in the past. The Giants always seem bigger when they are in our minds because that is where the battles begin.

Some days I feel like a Grasshopper living in a land of Giants! {LOSER MENTALITY}

In Numbers 13, The LORD instructed Moses, "Send spies into the land I am giving to Israel; send one leader from each of the twelve tribes." The following is the report from ten of the twelve leaders:

 "There we saw the Giants; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Numbers 13:33

 Notice "we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

THE ENEMY SEES US AS WE SEE OURSELVES! 

HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF? WINNER OR LOSER? VICTORIOUS OR DEFEATED?

I must remember who I am in Christ and who Christ is in me!

If Jesus lives in my heart then; "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world" 1John4:4

No matter how big the Giant seems, God is bigger! I said; "GOD IS BIGGER!"

"What seems impossible to man is possible with God." Luke 18:27

On days when I feel like I'm a grasshopper in a land of giants, I will tell the giants to Shut-up and I will ''SUIT UP." I will put on my big girl boots and my Armor Battle gear. 

"Put on the whole armor of God." Ephesians 6:10

I will not shrink back or run away, but I will stand tall when I am "FAITHING THE GIANTS!" 

FAITHING- My faith in action. If I want something different , I have to BELIEVE and  DO something different! It's a FAITH THING!

"Faith that does nothing is dead."James 2:26

Now let's hear what the other two spies Caleb and Joshua had to say when they returned from exploring the same land.  

But Caleb reassured the people as they stood before Moses. Numbers 13:30"Let us go up at once and possess it," he said "for we are well able to conquer it!"  {WINNER MENTALITY}

Gotta love that Caleb! Keep in mind he is in his eighties and perkier than a rutting Buck!

Caleb has no problem "FAITHING THE GIANTS"  he has no fear because he knows the LORD is with them. He is suited up and ready to go!

"Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Numbers 14:9

"We will devour them." In other words,we will eat the enemy for lunch! 

Joshua and Caleb saw the enemy different than the other spies. In their eyes the enemy was a Loser- a tiny grasshopper that they saw crushed and defeated. Joshua and Caleb saw themselves as Winners with God. They were Giants in their Faith! 

Remember what I said earlier? "THE ENEMY SEES US AS WE SEE OURSELVES!"

So when you have a grasshopper day like I do, whether you are "FAITHING THE GIANTS" in your head or they are standing right in front of you, don't run from the giants! 

Don't be afraid, don't be dismayed!

 If you are Fed up then Get up. Suit up.Gear up.Cheer up. Rise up. Pray up. LOOK UP! 

Tell the enemy to Wake up, Shut-up, Listen up because his Time is up! AMEN. 

Whew! Glory to God that's good stuff! Somebody write that down!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

"For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory." Deuteronomy 20:4

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ."

 1 Corinthians 15:57

WHO AND WHAT ARE THE GIANTS IN YOUR LIFE TODAY? 

 ARE YOU FACING THE GIANTS OR ARE YOU FAITHING THE GIANTS? 

WRITE DOWN YOUR GIANTS.

 SPEAK THE TRUTH THE WORD OF GOD TO THE GIANTS.

 NOW GIVE THE GIANTS TO GOD.

THE GIANTS ARE ONLY AS BIG AS WE MAKE THEM!

GOD IS ALWAYS BIGGER! AMEN.

  HALLELUJAH!

 PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

        DONNA SELMA LIND