Tag Archives: perspective

Oct2

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on October 2, 2014 by lsgrlr

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Judges 19. “But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, ‘No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. Look, here is my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!’ But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go” (Verses 23-25). Ever wished you could skip over something in the bible and pretend it’s not there? If I could do that, this would be the chapter I would eliminate. But as horrid and terrifying as I find the words written here, it serves a purpose. Which is to remind us of what “Everyone did what was right in their own sight” looks like. It looks like the story in this chapter. It looks like the TV news we watch day in and day out, and then after wonder to ourselves, “How can people be this wicked?” This is life without God. This is what happens when people fill that longing with something other than God. The world today is no different from it was then, society lives by the “If it feels good, do it” rule. This chapter is a reminder of why those words are a lie.

Sep26

DAY 268 (2014)

Posted on September 26, 2014 by lsgrlr

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So true!

Yesterday I went for an interview. It is for a really good company, I previously applied for the same position with the company. I even went as far as flying to NY from Florida to do the testing. However, a week after I was informed that I was no longer a candidate for the position. I was disappointed, but I let it go. Yesterday when I sat with the interviewer he pulled up my info and then got this rather quizzical look on his face. His expression said, “What the heck?!” So I asked, “Why do you have that expression on your face?” He laughed and said, “I have never been able to control my expressions. I have gotten in trouble a lot for that.” I told him I’d like to play a game of poker with him… 🙂 . He laughed and then said this, “I don’t understand why you didn’t make it through the last time. You passed the testing.” Huh… we continued the interview (I did not have to take the test again… Yay!). On the drive home I started to wonder as to why God had closed a door that could have had me moving to Western New York with a job to come to? Then my mind ran across my friend Karla. Why is this so important? I wrote a post about her recently (not sure of the DAY). She is a friend that I had invited to church on multiply occasions, each time she told me no. However, she finally said yes in July. Had the comapny hired me I would have left Florida in March, never attempting to ask her again. Then my mind ran across Miss A. Miss A was a patient who previously had gone through chemo, was found to have resolution of the disease. However, several months later in April was diagnosed with a new very aggressive form of cancer that literally has a six week window of life expectancy (that is the standard prognosis for most people diagnosed with this form of cancer). During that time I bought her a devotional because I felt that God told me to do so. It is now September and Miss A is not only is alive, but walking and talking on her own (which is miraculous). Here’s what I realized God had a reason that was BIGGER than I could have imagined. His purpose was eternal. Today Karla has inherited a peace that she says she can’t explain. Miss A’s husband once told me that both he and his wife read the devotional everyday. It’s the first thing they do every morning. Yesterday the interviewer said something else that floored me. “When a door is closed it is ALWAYS for a reason”. He’ll never know how true his words were. God had a much better plan.

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open” (Revelation 3:7).

Lesson: Let God shut and open the doors as He wills. The outcome will always be worth it.

Side story: Today I got a phone call for Final Interview… God’s got a plan 🙂

Sep22

DAY 264 (2014)

Posted on September 22, 2014 by lsgrlr

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Only God can truly answer this question…

So today while perusing my FB page, I stumbled upon a test that asked this question: How Awesome Are You? Well, being the curious person that I am, I decided it was important to find out “scientifically” how awesome I really was… 😉 . I clicked the link and took the test, the results. I am… 99% Awesome. I am sure right about now you’re all thinking, “Well, duh… you can’t argue with science…” 😉 Okay, probably not. After I took the test (and got my laughter under control) it dawned on me how silly we are as a people to try and quantify things. How can you figure out awesomeness? How can you quantify smart, stupid, happy, sad? You can’t. All these emotions, feelings, and actions are felt and exhibited by ALL human beings. We ALL fluctuate between moments of extreme awesomeness and moments of absolute stupidity. They can NOT be quantified or even properly defined. Why? Because only God knows the “TRUE” heart of man. Then I had this thought, “If we know it is illogical why do we do it?” (Yup, I thought a lot today… my head currently hurts). The only answer that seemed to fit was: To have control. We human being like control, don’t believe me. Have you ever fought over control of the TV remote, when you really didn’t have a show you wanted to watch? Have you ever gotten upset when someone told you to do something you already planned on doing? Control. We all want to have it. We like to know our strengths and our weakness. We want to call our own shots. The problem with control is that it can never be completely held or owned by any human, not even by the most powerful of mankind. There is only one person who can claim complete and totally control, and that is GOD. Here is the truth fighting for control only leaves us unfulfilled and needing more. Because no matter how much control we have it will never be enough. My advice live life and leave the controlling to God. He’s the only one with COMPLETE control. He will get us to our “real” awesomeness 🙂 .

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Lesson: Stop fighting for control. it is a losing battle. God is creator, controller, and chief executive office (CCCEO). Uhmmm, let Him do His job.

Sep11

DAY 253 (2014)

Posted on September 11, 2014 by lsgrlr

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Sometimes life’s little irritations are just God’s way of protecting us.

If you ever are in doubt that God takes care of us. Let me be a testament to the fact that He does. So this post was initially going to be me whining, but it turned into a praise that I didn’t see coming. Let take a step back, yesterday I went to BJ’s wholesale I decided it would be more cost effective to buy the things we use most (ie. toilet paper, paper towels etc.) in bulk. This way in the long run we purchase less and save more. I picked up what we needed went to the register and my ATM card was declined. The cashier said, “Maybe you miss typed your pin. Try again.” So, I tried again, still declined. I am fed up and a little embarrassed, but I also know there is money in my account so it shouldn’t be declining. I decide to pay with a credit card. When I got home I saw a missed call from a former co-worker stating that my bank had called about my ATM card. ???? Why’d they call my old job and not me? I immediately called my bank, but I was literally on hold for an hour when the call hung up. I decide to call in the morning. However, this morning when I woke up I totally forgot (I recently moved to NY from Florida there’s a lot going on). I was reminded again when I tried to purchase gas… This time I was determined to stay on the phone till I got a representative. I called my bank only to find out from the representative that at the same time I was using my card in Williamsville, NY, someone else was using it in Miami, Fl! The irony is not lost on me. Here’s the praise part, none of my money was touched! Not one dime, because… GOD. Literally at the same moment I used my card they tried to use it as well and this set off all kinds of red flags and immediately my bank deactivated my card. DEAR Lord thank you!!!! Here’s the deal I am currently unemployed (although I do have an interview tomorrow, so please pray), so had they been successful I would have been wiped out. This same thing has happen to several of my friends and in all cases they lost a lot of money, money the bank replaced, but it took time. Yesterday when my card didn’t work I was irritated, today when my card didn’t work I was irritated. However, after learning why it didn’t work, my irritation turned to praise. Here’s the deal we don’t always understand life’s inconveniences, things like traffic jams, lost keys, misplaced items, and ATM cards that don’t work are sometimes God’s way of protecting us from something worse. God is always taking care of us, ALWAYS.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10).

The Lesson: Keep your eyes fixed on Christ. It will help you to see His hand working even in life’s little irritations.

Sep9

DAY 251 (2014)

Posted on September 9, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I am currently looking for employment. This morning I woke up thinking about what will happen if God does not supply that need soon. In other words I woke up worried, and fearful. Worry and fear, a disease that I am trying to get under control. I struggle with my humanity a lot, because what I see is limited. My view of any situation sees only the here and now. Worry and fear seep in when I am focused on just the situation. This morning I woke up only seeing things from my perspective, from my limited view. Then I walked to my “quiet time spot”, sat down, opened my bible and spent time taking my fear and worry to the Lord. Sigh of relief… Let me back track a little, prior to moving here I spent some time with the Lord and He laid on my heart the need to walk in wisdom and confidence. Wisdom calls us to put what we know to be true into action. What do I know to be true? God is MORE than able to meet my every need. Confidence says that I can live without “fear’ and “worry” because I have confidence in what I know to be true (wisdom). See how He prepared my heart to combat what He knew this change would produce? This morning as I read His word He led me to Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 3:5-6, and Psalm 9:10. Read them for yourself, it will help your perspective (if you don’t have a bible borrow one from a friend, if your friends don’t have bibles, get new friends). After my time with God I was able to go through the rest of my day without fear or worry. Did my situation change? No. What did? My perspective. Spending time with God isn’t about changing God’s mind or trying to talk Him into doing things “our” way. No spending time with God’s grows our confidence IN Him, and our knowledge OF Him. Wisdom and confidence.

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The lesson: Live what you know to be true with confidence.

Sep8

DAY 250 (2014)

Posted on September 8, 2014 by lsgrlr

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Faith is like a tree it blooms or dies depending on how you feed it…
(벚꽃 -sounds like pop-corn- Chenon S. Korea Picture by Joy Seo.)

I have been very inconsistent with my DAY posts this year. I vow to do better starting now. Life was (and in some ways still is) hectic, but it is all part of the journey God has me on. Now as I sit relaxed after a 2.5 mile trek, I am wishing I had been more consistent. God has been faithfully teaching me all along the way, but I have not been faithful in dictating the lessons learned as a reminder for myself and a tool to help others. So today I am committing to getting back on track. So, then what am I learning now? Faith requires work. Yup, WORK. Many of us define faith as “believing and hoping in the unseen”, and you wouldn’t really be incorrect. But belief and hope requires that the believer/hoper participate actively in the pursuit of what they are believing and hoping for. Faith is not passive, it was never meant to be. We can’t simply just believe things into existence, if we could there would be no need for hard work. No need for education, or even the need to set goals and dreams. Now I don’t want you to misunderstand, I am not insinuating that we shouldn’t trust God to meet our needs. I am also NOT saying that we shouldn’t have the faith of a child (the kind of faith Christ told us to have). But what I am saying is that God has given us the gift of faith so that we can act on it. For example I want to be a doctor, I believe by faith it is what God has called me to do. I have sat on this thought for years knowing in my head that I want to do it. Feeling in my heart that every road that led to somewhere other than medical school was just a temporary stop on my bandwagon of procrastination. But the only way for me to become a doctor is to enroll in school (uhmmm…done). I have to study and learn. I have a responsibility, a role to play, in order to see my faith realized. Faith is not passive it is active. It requires us to take the steps necessary. It requires that we actively seek God’s will as we travel with Him in our faith walk. Sometimes faith says go, go, go. Sometimes faith says stop and wait. Be it go, go, go or wait… FAITH requires WORK.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

The Lesson: Faith is active not passive, do the work necessary.

Jul12

AND I QUOTE…

Posted on July 12, 2014 by lsgrlr

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Jul10

DAY 191 (2014)

Posted on July 10, 2014 by lsgrlr

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A change in perspective, a change of view.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

I am just realized something. I am scared! I am petrified about the move I am making. I am worried that I may fail, may not accomplish my goal and that my life will end up as nothing. This has always been my biggest fair. Not failure, but becoming inconsequent, irrelevant. Why? Every person with a pulse wants their life to have meaning, have purpose. We all want to be remembered for something. How did I come to my fear discovery? Today, I went to a doctor’s appointment, stood on the scale and almost had a heart attack!!! When I saw my weigh I quickly went through my recent eating pattern and realized that I had been handling my fear with food, which wouldn’t be so bad if I had chosen healthy foods, but… NOPE (while comfort food is comforting, it is not healthy). Today as I sat bemoaning my current state, I tried to find logic to my fears. I don’t understand why, I am fearful. I know the decision is right. Even now God is meeting and supplying every single need (as recent as yesterday). So why am I so fearful? Then it hit me that I am looking at me. I am not looking at God. I know in my heart and in my head that God will take care of me, of my family. The problem is that while my head may know it my eyes are NOT focused on His strength , but mine. Guess what? My strength is inadequate. So at this juncture in my journey I think it is time for a perspective change. It is time for me to focus on WHO needs to be focused on and take my eyes off I who I SHOULDN’T be focusing on, myself. I am reminded of something I often say to others, but need to hear myself: Our perspective determines our actions. Meaning how we see a situation, determines how we will handle it. If we see it as scary we’ll react in fear. If we see it as chance for growth, then we will grow. So today I am choosing to see this as God’s leading. Therefore my reaction is to follow, WITHOUT fear. We all face moments of fear it part of our human journey, but our perspective will determine how we handle it. Change our perspective, change our view.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

So what’s the plan? Fix my eyes on God.

Jun28

DAY 179 (2014)

Posted on June 28, 2014 by lsgrlr

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Beauty is NOT the physical. It is the HEART.
(Picture by Rose Starr)

I haven’t posted a “DAY” for a while. Not for lack of inspiration or learning, but mostly because I felt what I have been learning lately is something that God is doing in me (not that it won’t be shared later, but for now it is between God and I). However, today I was perusing my FB page and saw a letter that my friend Rose posted. The letter is written by Rose’s 13 year old daughter Hope, who recently came back from a missions trip to Haiti. I found Hope’s view of what true beauty is to be refreshing and very God centered. Her very simply and straight forward point of view, made me realize that God’s view of beauty is truly NOT the physical, but the heart. Here is Hope’s perspective (I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me):

Haiti was not what I expected… Everyone told me how beautiful it was, and yes, parts of Haiti were visually pleasing, but the streets of Port-Au-Prince were not very pretty at all. Dirt, trash, and people did not just line, but filled the hot “pavement.” And oh, the smell! Everyone we saw seemed so poor and I wanted to help them. Haiti IS beautiful, but not visually – Haiti is beautiful in the people. The sweet spirits of the children, who just want to be loved, made Haiti beautiful. And the love the caretakers have for their children. The miraculous work God is doing in Haiti, and His unstoppable, never-ending love for every single person there was wonderful to see. It was amazing to hear unbelievable stories from missionaries living in Haiti. And I loved spending time with the children and doing VBS. Our team was spectacular, and each member has such a strong calling to help people and spread Jesus’ love, which is so inspiring. I love them all so much! Leaving Haiti, I feel sad, as if I’m leaving home, but I know that the experience is one I’ll remember all my life, and Haiti will always be in my heart and prayers. Haiti is a beautiful, yet broken country that needs help. So please pray that the country will be healed. Haiti wasn’t what I expected, it was better. Thank you to everyone on the team!
~Hope Starr

“‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked Him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read from the lips of children and infants You, Lord, have called forth Your praise'” (Matthew 21:16).

So what’s the plan? Child like faith.

Jun19

DAY 168 (2014)

Posted on June 19, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I am really upset right now. Upset and disappointed. Disappointed in woman-kind (yeah I know, it’s not a word, but I am upset so deal). Why am I so angry. I will show you.

This picture was post on the Stockton Police Department’s FB page recently: . The man in the picture was a arrested for possession of illegal weapons. The police seized two rifles, a handgun, and a shot gun (fairly certain he isn’t going duck hunting). After posting the picture to the police department’s FB page it has received 15,000 likes and 3,700 comments. Now I am not a prophet or anything, but it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that the guns were going to be used in a “not good way”. You would think the 3,700 comments would be from people thanking the department for stopping a crime before it happened. Or maybe even people showing their gratitude that tonight they can breathe a little easier because these criminals were arrested. But sadly that is not what the comments are about. No, the comments are all about how good looking the criminal is! Yup, not lying I can hardly believe it myself. Women were posting things like, “I’d like to be in the same cell as him” and “It is a crime to be hot?” I almost cried after reading the article. I am baffled that we have fallen so far as to not see the crime, because we are blinded by good looks! I was about to go off on my soap box and rant when God reminded me that I do that (no, not this particular thing). I, too am sometimes blinded to the bad in a situation because I am so enthralled by the way it catches my attention. Here is some truth: Sin does not ever come to us in an ugly way, if it did we would not be so easily entangled. No sin tempts us, it shows all the aspects of it that we like, while subtly hiding the things we don’t. By the time we realize what is happening we are too wrapped in its clutches to escape. Beware friends don’t look at the “pretty” look at the “character” that’s where you’ll find the truth.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart'” (1 Samuel 16:7).

So what’s the plan? Look at what God looks at.