Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Be the Sheep

Be the Sheep

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. (Psalm 23:1-2, NLT)

Psalm 23 gives us such a lovely pastoral scene. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who takes care of His children as though they are sheep. The sheep’s instincts are to flock together, especially toward the center of the herd to stay safe. Out alone, by itself, the sheep doesn’t have much defense against preying animals.

I can’t imagine a safer place to be than by the Good Shepherd where He leads. Jesus desires to lead His children into a peaceful place in the meadow. As a sheep, wouldn’t it be great to nibble on the cool green grass and rest there instead of pushing our way to the center of the flock for protection? We can trust Him to watch over us. He desires to have His sheep be refreshed in peaceful waters, not dangerous rapids. How often do I want to run ahead and deal with things on my own, not considering that He has a better way for me?

If I want the Good Shepherd to lead me, I need to follow Him. I must trust and rest in Him. That’s where I can feed on His Word and drink in His living presence. Some days I feel like I’m growing closer than others. I am thankful Jesus will never leave me or forsake me, even when I’m not the smartest sheep in the bunch!

Father, lead me closer to You through your Son. Without You I am nothing. Thank you for your unfailing love and mercies every day. Help me to trust in your presence and guidance one day at a time. 

Tweet this: Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for His own.

Monday Motivation - Survey Recap

Survey Recap

First of all, a big “thank you” to those who took the time to answer the questions in my short survey last Monday. It was very helpful. What do you think was the top writing issue survey respondents chose as the one they needed the most help with? If you guessed time management, you’d be correct. 100% of respondents chose this, so you’re not alone!

The second choice was writing consistently, which in many ways goes with time management. We are pulled in many directions by the needs of others, especially family members, church and social obligations, day jobs, household chores, etc. How can we balance it all and consistently schedule precious writing time? Those among us who are naturally organized are always looking for ways to be more efficient. My husband is an example of one of those people! However, I would suspect most of us creative types struggle in the area of time management altogether, let alone organization.

As far as what kind of posts people wanted, both “short posts with writing prompts” and “encouragement for the writing life” tied at 60%. Four-fifths felt that writing prompts were helpful.

This year I will endeavor to share more about my own discoveries in the area of time management, writing prompts and encouragement. I will strive to grow in the area of  sharing my own writing struggles and victories as well.

Do you have a favorite time management tip to share with other writers? If so, please leave a comment. Your comments are important to me and I love to hear from you!

Monday Motivation: How May I Serve You Better?

When I began Monday Motivation early in October, I had hoped to encourage other writers and perhaps create some rapport and a sense of community, but without taking up too much of your time. As we gear up for accomplishing more and writing better throughout 2014, my desire is to serve you, my fellow writers, better. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out the five question survey below to let me know how this can be accomplished. Thank you!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Unburdened

Unburdened

When it comes to my back, I am a sort of a wimp. I’ve experienced enough muscle spasms and been to enough physical therapy sessions to persuade me to be more cautious. My left leg is ¾” shorter than my right and tends to throw things out of balance. I am careful with what and about how I lift.

A couple of weeks ago I found myself without my handy husband there to help lift a 35 lb. container of the concentrated weight of kitty litter. On that gray, chilly day in the pet supply store parking lot, I braced my one foot against the bottom of the cart and the back of my leg against the bumper of my Chevy Venture. I grasped the handle of the bucket and prayed that I wouldn’t pull my muscles any more than I had, when I’d hurt them the day before. I looked up and saw a young man coming out of the store. He glanced my way and I averted my eyes, so that he wouldn’t think I was looking for help. Actually, I was thinking that I hoped he didn’t think I looked like the pathetic weakling I am.

Before I managed to muster the strength I needed, the dark-haired guy was standing in front of me. “Can I help you with that?” I could barely stutter out a question of whether he truly minded, by the time he hoisted the container into the back of my minivan. And as I went to pick up the second one, he wanted to assist me with it as well. I thanked him profusely. Another gentleman asked if he could take my empty basket, so I didn’t even need to return it to the sidewalk. I climbed into the driver’s seat of my car, relieved the Lord had provided me with help, when I least expected. I breathed a prayer of thanks.

A stranger, who didn’t know anything of my thoughts, worries or limitations had offered to take the problem of lifting the kitty litter into my car, into his hands. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT) My Heavenly Father, who created me and knows me intimately, longs for me to unburden myself, to give Him the fears on my heart, the worries I hold onto for loved ones. The worry lines embedded in my forehead attest to the fact that I don’t leave it with Him enough.

Yet, my worrying cannot change a thing. Praying and leaving these things is letting the Lord do the heavy work. He is always near my side, offering to help. He asks that I obey Him and take Him up on His generous offer one day at a time.

Psalm 33:20-21(NLT)

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

Matthew 6:34(NLT)

. . . don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.