Turning back the hands of time

I hope all is well with you and your family. As for myself and family, we are all doing well. God blessed me to celebrate another birthday on Thursday for which I am so grateful.

 

As you may be aware tomorrow night we turn our clocks back an hour for which most of us are happy as we can always use an extra hour of sleep.

 

What if we could turn back the hands of time to a particular occasion or period of time in our past? For some of us it may be to a time when we were young and had no responsibility. For some it may be your wedding day and the bliss you felt as you walked down the aisle. Perhaps you want to turn the hands of time back to when your children were young and innocent and cute.

 

For some of us we wish we could go back to the time just before we made that decision that turned out to be very costly or to the time when we may have said some very harsh words which caused so much pain to a friend or relative or severed a relationship.

 

Unfortunately turning back the hands of time is only wishful thinking. Our best bet is to use our time wisely. Try to savor our good moments. As much as possible enjoy spending time with your children, your spouse or significant other. Spend less time arguing and more time communicating. We need to speak more kindly and positively to others and less time tearing each other down or speaking negatively to one another. We need to spend time to encourage and praise the efforts of those lives we impact rather than using our time to discourage and put them down. We must use every opportunity we get to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone rather than advance propaganda our own personal agenda.

Don't be like R. Kelly- "If I could turn back time..."

 

In His Service,

 Vilma

 

What is your excuse?

 

As Human beings we tend to thrive on coming up with excuses. 

There is always an excuse to justify why we are late for work, why we eat so much or so little, why our children behave the way they do. Why we don't go to church or why we keep ripping and running.

Some of these are legitimate but most of them are simple a poor way of saying no. I think we even walk with a pocketful of excuses just in case we need one in a hurry it is in easy reach.

What I realize not only do we have excuses for each other but we also come up with just as many excuses when God has asked us to do something.

Rick Warren puts this best. Here is how he responds in "The Purpose Driven Life" to those who make excuses concerning why they cannot serve the Lord.

"Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was co-dependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health and Timothy was timid"

 The 12 men called to be God's disciples could have come up also with a lot of excuses as to why they were not fit to serve, but they did not- common men, unimportant folks. In the end they turned the world “upside down” for Jesus.

When Jesus calls us to follow him, He's not looking for the smartest or strongest.  He does not call you because of what is in you but instead of what He can do through you. Feel honored that you were chosen and just watch and see what He can do with your inadequacies. You have no valid excuse!

In His Service,

Vilma

T.G.I.T….. The God I Trust

For the ABC family TGIT is the night when “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Scandal” and “How to get away with murder” comes on. Those who watch these shows drool in anticipation for Thursdays to relax and watch each new episode- Thank God its Thursday.

There is nothing wrong to use acronyms especially when you need to remember something very important especially when you are studying for a test. For me I still love to use acronyms, I constantly need to be reminded about “The God I Trust”

 I need to be reminded that He is able to keep me from falling at those times when my world appears to be crashing around me.

I need a reminder when my prayers seemingly go unanswered, that He heard my prayers and answered them before I even called and that His timing is different from mine.  I need to remember that He is always right on time.

I need a reminder when my job gets overwhelming, that He will provide for me a way of escape.

I need a reminder when those I thought would be there for me disappear, that He promises never to leave me nor to forsake me.

I need a reminder when I get overly concerned about my child that God has no grandchildren and that my child belongs to God, and that He takes care of His own. I need to know that what concerns me also concerns God.

It gives me assurance that the “The God I Trust” is faithful, dependable, loves me, cares for me, provides for me, protects me and has me engraved in the palm of His hands.

What does TGIT means to you?

In His Service,

Vilma

See your child as an individual, not a replica of their sibling

As parents we sometimes tend to compare one child with another. We make statements like “your brother was such a good boy” or your sister did so well in school” Although some of these statements may be true this is no way to encourage and build self-confidence in your child or children. We do not want to make one child feel inferior to any of their siblings.

God has created each of us as unique, gifted individuals. None of us is exactly the same. Twins and triplets have many similarities but even they also have some differences.

Romans 12: 6 indicates that we have “different gifts according to the grace given to each of us” None of our children (neither were you) were overlooked when God was distributing gifts. That is not the way that God operates- He is not partial. God places in each individual something unique that will distinguish them from everyone else. We are not a mass production.

I encourage you to ask God for discernment to see that special gift He has given to your child and help them to develop that gift. Do not bury it and try to develop in them what is in their other sibling. The gift that we have was put their so that we can use it to compliment and bless someone else. Our unique gifts and abilities are designed to match up with others to be even more effective as a whole in the kingdom of God.

In His Service,

Vilma

Get busy training

I hope all is well with you and your family. Can you imagine it is already October? The year seems to have gone by so quickly, before you know it will be Thanksgiving and then Christmas.
 I hope that you have made some significant strides in the plans you had for 2015. What about the plans you had to invest in more meaningful time with your children? 

 

According to proverbs 22:6, as a parent, we are required to "train up" our children. The question is how do we train them and in what do we train them?

 

The word train means to coach, prepare or grow in a direct manner with a clear and achievable outcome. The definition further states that a person can also train or coach another person to acquire more skills or to improve existing ones.

 

As I reflect on this definition, I realize that training takes time, effort and more than likely will require some patience- as some people can be a bit slow to "get it".

When we train up our children we are helping them to avoid pitfalls in life and are preparing them for what they were designed by God for. We are training them as you would train soldiers. Soldiers go through a period of training where they are taught how to be on the alert for the enemy, how to correctly carry and handle weapons and how to obey command.

 

This verse further reminds us that we must train them not in the way they want to go but in the way that they should go, which is a big difference. When they get older our hope is that with the years of training it will become a habit/lifestyle that they will not depart from it.

 

James Dobson in his book "The Strong Willed Child" said, "Child rearing is like baking a cake. You don't realize you have a disaster until it's too late." But success in both child rearing and cake baking is best achieved by following the recipe.  Don't end up with a disaster- follow the recipe from the word of God.

Have a great October month- remember it is also Breast cancer awareness month. If you are at that age - make sure to get your mammogram.
 

In His Service,

 

Vilma

October- breast cancer awareness month

Today marks the beginning of breast cancer awareness month.

Ladies please ask your health care provider about breast cancer screening especially if you have a family history of breast cancer, African American or over the age of 40 years old. 

Men encourage the women you know to go get screened.

If you are a survivor- please take the opportunity to share your story and encourage another woman who may be struggling at the moment with breast cancer.

Facts about Breast Cancer in the United States

•        One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

•        Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.

•        Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.

•        Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.

•        Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

Retrieved from: http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-facts

Symptoms of breast cancer vary from person to person. Some common breast cancer signs and symptoms include:

•        Skin changes, such as swelling, redness, or other visible differences in one or both breasts

•        An increase in size or change in shape of the breast(s)

•        Changes in the appearance of one or both nipples

•        Nipple discharge other than breast milk

•        General pain in/on any part of the breast

•        Lumps or nodes felt on or inside of the breast

Symptoms more specific to invasive breast cancer are as follows:

•        Irritated or itchy breasts

•        Change in breast color

•        Increase in breast size or shape (over a short period of time)

•        Changes in touch (may feel hard, tender or warm)

•        Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin

•        A breast lump or thickening

•        Redness or pitting of the breast skin (like the skin of an orange)

Retrieved from: http://www.cancercenter.com/breast-cancer

Vilma