One day…..

My mama used to tell me “T never lose yourself in the midst of raising kids because one day they will be gone and you will be left picking up the pieces of your emptiness.” I have raised kids for the past 30 years and now there are only two teenagers left at home, and my mother’s words are coming to life. I should have listened but I did not. Today’s teens are so different than they used to be, they have their phones, electronics, and those things become their family, their reason for existence and their parents become lost in the shuffle. There are days like today I am left wondering what I did wrong, or if I should just get a life and stop trying so hard to be the parent they do not want, right now. I do not know how many times I have heard I do not need you all up in my business, or I do not want to talk about it, or not be included in the little things in life. People tell me it is a phase and they will grow out of it, but do they really? I try not to take it personally but some days it is harder than others. If you have teens how do you handle the silence or the time to get a life, or pick up the pieces of the emptiness?

 

Bare your soul

You know one of the reasons I love Psalms so much is because David is so real and genuine. There are days when he is on top of the world, days when he is angry, days when he is frustrated, says when he is weak and strong days he wants God to tear apart his enemies I mean he was real and he wasn’t afraid to express it and even though some of his thoughts were things God would not do he honored David because he was real in his relationship with God. He wrote what he felt and wrote what was on his mind and I truly believe that is what kept David free from staying with burdens that would weigh him down. As he spoke, wrote and released them to God, God handled them Maybe not the way David would have liked in the moment but he handled them. When of the things I realize is this when David freed his mind and released what was in his heart, It made room for God to still use him, and draw David closer to himself. God knew the things of this world were going to seem more than we can bare sometimes, God knew people were going to get “ugly” and situations out of our control. But within each and every one of us is a natural outlet. God made our human bodies so we breathe air in process it and exhale what we don’t need. If we hang on to the co2 to long it damages the inside of us affecting the organs and so on. Same with our emotions. We will experience all kinds of emotions, and some will make us feel good and some will if we hold on to them to long damage is on the inside. God have is a defense mechanism on the inside to deal with life because he knew it wasn’t going to be easy. For some people it is writing, some singing, composing. Volunteering, going for a walk, drawing, gardening, painting, and so on. There is something built into you when you do it it creates a peace a calmness that allows you to relax, think, release. In the midst of these things God is able to speak, direct, whatever it is. The one thing God can’t do is step in when your not real. He will wait. David never hid his emotions from God and God thought it was so important We are reading about it 2000 years later. I want to encourage you today to cry out to God whatever is on your heart, rejoice with God whatever is on your heart, whatever it is today be real with God even though he already knows release it to Him so he may set you free.
Today I will admit my heart is heavy and my mind is full and things are happening I have no idea how to deal with or the outcome but what I do know the longer I hold on to them the longer I refuse to exhale the more damage it will do to the inside. David’s strength was God but also expressing and letting go. As he exhaled joy returned, peace returned, focus returned, and God moved him forward. The Psalms what beauty Are in the words of truth. Lord let me exhale all the negativity in my mind, life, and heart And let me breathe you in and let your spirit penetrate my soul and fill every space and cavity with over flow. Refresh me with the living water and feed my soul that hunger and thirst for you. The scriptures that comes to mind today are Psalm 23, Psalm 121, Psalm 91 and I better stop there. Today be real with God, exhale, and breathe Him in. As you release exhale and breathe in the Holy Spirit will fill and occupy the space which was consuming you and bring you back to life in Christ.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27 KJV)