My thoughts on love

Did you know that we’re all natural born lovers? Yes, we are. 

We were born to love with all our hearts.

Some of you have a special gift to love but sometimes you become so afraid to love it paralyzes you. 

You've become afraid because you’ve been hurt in your past. I know. I’ve been hurt too.

But please don’t let your past hurts stop you from loving because only you have that special, warm blend of goodness that only YOU can provide. 

This is what I'm learning and I want you to learn this too. 

So why keep it to yourself? Why hoard it? Love loses power unless you give it away.

The world needs your love but only you can choose to love.

And you know who else needs your love? You. Yes, you.

Today I want to remind you that you are most alive when you are open to giving and receiving love.

And it starts with loving yourself first.

So love yourself and love others and let others love you right back.

Fight against that little voice inside of you that tells you that you are too afraid. 

Yes, we all become a little afraid but you also have the power to say no to fear. 

You can choose to be fearless. You can say no to fear and yes to love.

If you live your life feeling afraid all the time, well that’s really not living and if you’re really not living, then you’re really not loving.

So today say no to fear and yes to love.

Love with reckless abandon.

Love radically and beautifully and with the special, warm blend of goodness that only YOU can provide.

Until next time, 

xx, Ruthie

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. ~2 Timothy 1:7

Positive and Wise People

Below you will find a list of attributes that make up a positive and wise person. I put this list together today after pondering all the wise and positive people who have blessed me through the years. Their influence in my life and God's love, grace and influence have awakened me to live my best life and to live wisely and to bless others. Enjoy ... 

Positive people who are wise love God and recognize that their positive ways of thinking and living are a gift from God. 

Positive people who are wise love God and love people.

Positive people who are wise inspire and bless others and desire the very best for others. 

Positive people who are wise are encouragers who make people feel comfortable in their presence.

Positive people who are wise make great leaders.

Positive people who are wise breathe life into people with their words and wisdom.

Positive people who are wise have infectious personalities. It's difficult not to experience joy around these beings. 

Positive people who are wise are life long learners who are committed to learning and growing and being a blessing to others because they have an innate desire in making a difference.

Positive people who are wise are thinkers and love to contemplate what they are learning and how to apply it to bless others.

Positive people who are wise are committed to excellence not perfection.

Positive people who are wise are affable.

Positive people who are wise practice gratitude and grace daily. 

Positive people who are wise believe the best, expect the best from God and desire the best for others.

Positive people who are wise encourage themselves through what they read, what they believe and through an active prayer life. 

Positive people who are wise encourage you to live your best life, to practice gratitude and to practice grace.

Positive people who are wise will share with you that there is great redemptive power in forgiveness.

Positive people who are wise are in tune with God's Spirit, perceive the invisible, sense the intangible and achieve the impossible.

Positive people who are wise recognize and believe that nothing is impossible for God. 

Positive people who are wise rely on God's provision and grace to accomplish great things.

Positive people who are wise are sensitive to the needs of others.

Positive people who are wise believe that faith and prayer activate God's power in our lives.

Positive people who are wise who believe God recognize that confidence and courage come from God alone.

Positive people who are wise recognize that wisdom comes from God. 

Positive people who are wise believe in God and trust God.

Positive people who are wise give people space and grace to learn and grow.

Prayer

Sometimes prayer is talking to God, sometimes it's listening and sometimes it's a combination of both. Whatever it is, however often you do it, just do it because prayer changes things specifically when we pray according to God's will. You may not see things change right away, but don't let that discourage you because in the spiritual realm, things are changing. Give God time.

Until next time, keep praying.

xx, Ruthie

Give God time

Sometimes when we're going through difficulty, we need to remember that we must be patient in our afflictions. Beloved, if you're experiencing a storm, a difficulty or a difficult season, give God time. Give God time because Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that He makes ALL things beautiful in His time. I've learned through the years that His time table is not our time table. Timing is everything. Sometimes we think we know the right time but God's time is always right and He's always right on time. Isaiah 55:8 says, "His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways." We must trust His ways over our ways. His ways are better so don't grow weary in waiting or in your difficult season. God knows what He's doing so don't get discouraged and don't lose hope. Difficult seasons happen. They happen to the best of us but they eventually pass. Dear one, keep praying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep declaring God's promises over your life, and your circumstance and over the lives of others. I know it's hard sometimes, especially when you don't see anything changing but don't give up! He knows what you're feeling. He knows your heart. He knows your desires. He knows your every wish and your every dream. He knows you intimately beloved. He knows you better than your best friend, your parents or your spouse. He really does. And He see's you and He hears you. Don't believe for a minute that He doesn't. He knows your every thought and every word you speak even before you speak it. 

What ever you're going through, what ever you're feeling, it's not over. It's not over until God says it's over. Here's what I've learned through the years: If God is in it, there is no limit in the blessings He will pour out, no limit. So if He hasn't whispered that it's over, you be patient. You hang tight. Keep praying. Keep believing because He's working things out. (Romans 8:28) You have to believe that. So don't give up, don't throw in the towel because you might be "feeling" weary. Remember, life isn't based on "feelings." Feelings come and go. Life is based on truth and the truth is: God is for you and He loves you and He wants to bless you, so give God time.

Until next time, hope fully!

xx, Ruthie

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the LORD. And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. ~Isaiah 55:8

He makes ALL things beautiful in His time. ~Ecclesiastes 3:11

God causes EVERYTHING to work together, for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. ~Romans 8:28

Trust your lives to the God who created you, for He will never fail you. ~1 Peter 4:19

Gratitude

For three years now, I post something every day during the month of November on Facebook sharing with friends and family what I'm thankful for. I do this because I want to encourage others to think about gratitude and to live with gratitude and also because this practice helps me slow down long enough to share what I'm grateful for. It helps me recognize how blessed I really am to be alive and to experience such blessings. Every day may not be a perfect day but every day has something in it that we can give God thanks for. 

Living with gratitude is a practice and I live with gratitude daily to a holy God for His goodness in my life. Everything I experience I've learned has something to teach me and I've learned to be thankful in all things. Someone once said that gratitude turns what we have into enough. Such true words ... As I get older, I'm learning to become content in all things. I don't have everything I want but everything I need I have and for that I'm grateful. I never want to take for granted that I live in such a rich country. When I consider how others live in other countries, it makes me feel like a spoiled brat when I want more, more, more. Sometimes, I just need a reality check and I must remember, that I have all I need. In fact, I spent most of 2012 purging and gave away so much. It wasn't easy but in the end, it felt good and I feel SO free! Less really is more. It's about dynamic equilibrium. That's just a fancy way of saying: balance. ; ) 

At age 45, I've come to recognize that I want to live the rest of my life appreciating every waking moment as much as possible. I realize its not always possible but every day I've learned is a gift from God filled with beautiful and sacred moments. I want to recognize and acknowledge these extraordinary and sometimes quite simple moments and whisper quiet thank you's to God Almighty for allowing me to witness and experience such beauty.   

I found a video on gratitude tonight on Pinterest. I really enjoyed how it slowed me down for six minutes and how it made my heart smile and feel grateful. I'm pretty sure it lowered my blood pressure too. It's a lovely and ponderous video. Click here to view it. I hope it blesses you.

So ... tell me. What are you thankful for today?

Until next time, love and blessings to you and yours ...

xx, Ruthie

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you. May He be gracious to you, lift you up and bless you with His peace.  ~Numbers 24-26

When God’s face shines upon you, that’s Big Daddy smiling at you, beloved.

The Right Desires

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” ~ Psalm 37:4

Today I came across a verse that really popped out at me. It popped out at me because yesterday I was talking with a friend who asked me to pray specifically for him. This person requested that I ask God to place the "right" desires in his heart. What a beautiful and smart prayer request because our desires often differ greatly from what God desires for us.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I came across this verse this morning. In fact, I’m pretty certain that God allowed me to read this verse for a reason and He is the One that put a thirst in me today to dive into its meaning and to study what this verse "really" means.

And this is what I learned and what I’m learning …

I learned that people, including myself have often misinterpreted the meaning of this verse. We read this verse and believe that God will give us every good desire if we delight in Him. But think very carefully about what the Psalmist is saying here.

We should keep in mind that what "we think" might be good, may not align with what God desires for us. We must trust and believe that He knows all things and sees all things even before they happen so it is ALWAYS better for us to desire what He desires for us. 

As I continued my study on this verse, I learned that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He doesn’t give us what our hearts desire, but He gives us desires within our hearts. 

Did you catch that? 

He gives us the “right” desires within our hearts when we delight ourselves in Him.

God is the One that places the right desires in our hearts when we delight in Him. Then when we pray according to those desires, He is able to answer our prayers in the affirmative. As we live in this manner, our lives become more and more aligned with His will for us. 

My friends, Ruthie just got a revelation today! What an eye opening experience to learn this today. And I’m so happy to be sharing this with you, because we can learn together. 

It’s important to know that God is the One who places the right desires within our hearts when we delight ourselves in Him. Delighting in Him is so very important and necessary because Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things. And if you stop and think about that, you have to admit that there is a lot of truth in that verse because our hearts are tricky little organs that can be so fickle depending on our circumstances. 

The Message translation for Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”

Today, I’m starting to REALLY understand why it’s so important to have God place His desires, the right desires in and on our hearts because our hearts on our own are deceitful and not reliable.

God promises that when we delight in Him, and rely on Him, when we take pleasure in Him, that He will give Himself to us and deposit beautiful desires in our hearts, the right desires that line up with His will for our lives.

Delighting ourselves in the Lord means that we live our lives loving Him, honoring Him, and pleasing Him. If living for God is a burden to you, then you are not delighting in the Lord. But if living to serve and please God is a joy, then you are on the right track.

My thirteen year walk with God has taught me this: As I get closer to God, He changes the desires in my heart in really good ways. He puts desires in my heart to love and care for people I naturally would have never wanted to love or care for. He has placed desires in my heart to do good, good I would have likely never done if I didn’t live my life making Him priority in my life. I love pleasing God because I love Him so much. And I love Him so much because He has done SO much for me. I could NEVER pay him back for what He has blessed me with. My life may not be perfect but it’s a good life because He’s such a big part of my life and the reason I experience love, joy and peace and so many other delicious experiences. I’m an experience kind of girl, I love to relish and live in moments and my relationship with God has awakened me to appreciate the moments in my life.

Beloved, God loves us and He wants the best for us. We must believe that and never doubt that. 

We need to understand that in order for Him to bring out godly qualities in us, we must seek Him first and above all things (Matthew 6:33). Our journey in life is not always perfect. Sometimes it’s tricky and trying at best but God has promised that He will never abandon us, and He has promised that there is NO thing that will overwhelm us. He will be with us every step of the way.

The key to the right desires in our hearts: We must trust Him, obey Him and delight ourselves in Him.

Learning this today is going to change the way I pray for people, my friends and myself. What a blessing to learn all this today!

Until next time,

xx, Ruthie

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you. May He be gracious to you, lift you up and bless you with His peace.  ~Numbers 24-26

Today

Today is Friday and for most of us, it’s the end of the work week. Today as we know it, will never come again.

There's a song on the radio that commands my attention every time I hear it. And lately, they've been playing this song alot on KLOVE, the radio station I love listening to. I'm not sure who the artist is or what the name of the song is. The lyrics in the song that stand out to me the most are: "I want to live like there's no tomorrow, love like I'm on borrowed time." Wow! ... What a powerful statement. I can so relate because that's exactly how I want to live my life. I'm not always successful at living like there's no tomorrow but at the very heart of who I am, I want all my moments to count. 

The other morning as I was walking into my my office building, I ran into a colleague of mine who asked me how I was doing. And he didn't just ask in a casual manner to be polite. He really wanted to know how I was doing because he asked the question twice. As we stood there, we got to chatting for a bit before we headed over to our respective offices and during our conversation, he shared with me that as he gets older, he's realizing how important it is to appreciate what we have and to make life count. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to hear that. This colleague of mine has an extraordinary spirit. He's probably one of the most affable people I know. Everybody who knows him, loves him! He e-mails me periodically or stops by to check in on me, to make sure I'm doing okay. I love that about him. He's just a very kind man with a very caring heart for people. And I think to myself, what if we were all like him? 

I share these things with you because I want to encourage you to think and to live differently. We should all aspire to be a blessing to others, to be a friend, to encourage and to empower, not just today but every day. We should take the time to check in on our friends and our family members, taking the time to care, to love, to serve and to pray. We should make that phone call, write that letter, send that e-mail, plan that visit or host that dinner party we keep putting off. Let's do something or many things to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people who cross our paths, the people in our communities and with our family. 

Each of us is equipped and each of us has the power to make a positive difference in life, every day. Our words and our attitudes and our actions carry extraordinary power. 

Together, let's decide today to tap into that power and to do something extra nice for someone. That someone could be a stranger, a friend or a family member. Maybe today, you'll decide that it will be many people. And if that’s what you decide, I applaud you! That’s a great attitude! After all, the day is still young, it’s not too late. It's never too late. 

When you speak to people today, slow down. Don’t be in such a hurry. Let your words breathe life into them. And when people speak to you, listen carefully and attentively. Let’s remember that people matter, people over things matter.

Let’s remember that our words have incredible power. Our words have the power to heal or to wound so let’s choose words that heal, that build people up, that promote goodness, wellness and kindness. Let’s choose words that leave people feeling blessed, loved and valued.

My friends, tomorrow is never promised. Today is all we have. What we have is right here and right now. 

So .... how are you going to spend the next 24 hours?

What kinds of things will you do and say to make a difference, not just today but every day?

Until next time, 

xx, Ruthie

p.s. I just researched the artist and the name of the song that I mentioned in this post. The artist is Jason Gray and the name of the song is called: Good to be Alive. It's a good tune and it inspires me in really good ways. :o) Hope it inspires you too. Be well ... 

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you. May He be gracious to you, lift you up and bless you with His peace.  ~Numbers 24-26

When God’s face shines upon you, that’s Big Daddy smiling at you, beloved.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness I've learned is something we all have to do in life and sometimes we have to do it more times than we can remember. Nobody gets through life unscathed. At some point, you have either hurt someone or someone or many someone's have hurt you or disappointed you. What I’m learning about forgiveness is this: Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different. It is what it is. It makes no sense to keep remembering the offense. If you choose to dwell on the offense, you're living "stuck," stuck in your past. And I can assure you that the offender doesn't think about the thing they did or said to hurt you nearly as much or at all so why live like a prisoner when you have the power to live differently? Forgiveness is about letting go, and liberating yourself. If you want to live the “freedom” life that God desires for you, you must release yourself from your past hurts. You must stop living in the past and begin living in the present and keep on keeping on.

I'm not trying to minimize how hard it is to forgive. Believe me; I know how difficult it can be, especially when wounds are fresh. Forgiveness is hard work, really hard work sometimes. Forgiveness I've learned doesn't mean that you condone what was done to you. It also doesn't mean that the person who hurt you has to be a part of your life either. Sadly, sometimes we have to set healthy boundaries and decide that some people just cannot be part of our lives or part of our inner circle. Sometimes this is temporary and sometimes it must be permanent. If you have to make this decision, don’t feel guilty about it especially if you have to do this with a specific family member. You must remember that you are not their teacher or their advisor. You must allow God to be God. Let God deal with the people who hurt you. That's God's job, not yours. I've learned that hurt people hurt people so let God deal with their hurts. When I remember that hurt people hurt people, I find that compassion rises up in me. The best thing you can do for those who offend you, who hurt you, who disappoint you, is to pray for them. Yes, pray. It took me many years and re-reading and listening to God's word and sermons on the topic of forgiveness to be able to pray for those who have hurt me. I'm here to tell you that yes, it's hard but it's also possible. The Bible tells us in James 1:22 to be doers of God's Word. So when you're ready, pray for their healing. Pray that God will bless them with godly wisdom, pray that God makes them whole. If it's important to you and you want the relationship restored, ask God to restore your relationship. This I know is alot easier said than done but if you ask God to help you pray for those who have hurt you, He will help you in this area. But it begins with a decision. You sit in the driver seat of life and you are the one that must decide that you want to honor God and pray for those who have hurt you even when you don't "feel" like it. We can't live our lives guided by our feelings because our feelings are constantly changing. We must live our lives based on what is right, and true and honorable. When my wounds are fresh and I'm praying for those who have hurt me, I pray as a decision and most of the time, I find that I cry alot as I pray for them because the wound is still so fresh but over time, the tears end and I find myself feeling stronger and I'm able to pray bold and confident prayers praying for their very best. I pray God's Word over them and their lives. And in my heart, I know this pleases God when I finally get to this place. And truth be told, it makes me feel really good inside too, like I'm growing and maturing and becoming the woman God calls me to be. 

Forgiveness I’ve learned is a heart matter. Sometimes we forgive people face to face through a meeting (meeting with them) or we call the offender and share with them that we've forgiven them but sometimes, it’s necessary and safe and totally "okay" to stay away from the person who caused you pain or who violated you and forgive them in your heart without having any contact with them. The offender need not be present nor be in the know. Forgiveness is less about the offender and more about you and your healing and restoration. Forgiveness does not require an apology. Apologies are nice when sincere and they help us during the healing process but it's not necessary to receive an apology to forgive. We forgive to set ourselves free. 

The other thing I’ve learned about forgiveness is that God not only forgives us but He heals us and restores us. I love God for so-o many reasons but I love Him for how He has healed me and restored me through the years. Nobody could ever heal us or restore us like God. He is our REAL Healer, our only Healer. And let's face it, healing takes time, lots of time for many of us so please give God time and be a willing vessel and allow Him to heal you and make you whole again. We must give God time. My pastor continues to remind us of this lately and it's such a blessing to me EVERY TIME I hear him say those words. Often times, we miss God's blessings because we don't wait on God, because we don't give God time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God makes ALL things beautiful in His time. Isn't this an encouraging verse??? I just love it! This is a verse that God placed on my heart several months ago, and I find it so very interesting that my pastor also recites this one often too. Sometimes, I think God inspires my pastor to write sermons/messages just for me because I've lost count on how many times I've walked away from church saying: "Wow! ... That message was right on time and spoke specifically to my circumstance." Only God! So mark this verse (Ecclesiastes 3:11) on your heart so you don't forget it and so you don't lose hope and please, please give God time. In fact, I love this verse so much that I printed the words and framed this verse in a 4X6 inch picture frame. The picture frame sits in my master bedroom as a tangible reminder so I never forget to keep waiting on God, to wait for His best. 

Sometimes the hardest person in life to forgive is yourself. Have you ever experienced this? I know I have. Many times. Too many to remember how many times. If you fall into this category, allow me to remind you that you deserve to let yourself off the hook. If you have prayed and talked to God and asked God to forgive you, then guess what? He forgave you! And you MUST do the same for yourself. You must forgive yourself. 

I love what the Bible has to say in Jeremiah 31:34. It says that God will forgive our wickedness and He will never again "remember" our sins. Isn't that amazing??? This means that when God forgives us, He remembers our sin no more, like EVER! And we need to do the same for ourselves. If the memory surfaces, choose a different thought and remind yourself that God has already forgiven you. When the hurtful memory surfaces, it's the enemies way of trying to keep you down. Sometimes I find that I have to say: Shut up enemy! In this context the enemy here is the devil, the dark spirit that works and whispers to you in your thoughts to keep you away from living your best life. The enemy loves to attack your thought life and that is why the battle is always in our minds. But fortunately for us, we have every thing we need to change the way we think. It's our job to renew our minds. When the enemy comes at you whispering terrible things, tell the enemy that God has already forgiven you and that you have already forgiven yourself and command the enemy to leave, in the name of Jesus! You can say, "In the name of Jesus, I command you to leave NOW!"  

Dear ones, did you know that God calls you to live an abundant life filled with emotional freedom from guilt and unforgiveness? He does and it says so in the Bible. So decide today to free yourself if you’ve been struggling in this area and forgive yourself. You deserve it and God desires this for you. And I want this for you too. 

If you’re struggling with forgiving someone else, allow me to remind you that forgiveness is a choice. Did you catch that? It's a choice. Forgiveness is not based on a feeling. If you wait for the day when you’re going to “feel” like forgiving someone, the day may never come. Forgiveness is an act of obedience to a holy God and when we choose to forgive, God ALWAYS meets us in the pain and releases us from the bondage of unforgiveness. He also releases us and frees us from all the ugly feelings connected to unforgiveness. In the process, He tenderizes our hearts and eventually our hearts no longer feel hurt over what ever it was that caused us to feel hurt in the first place. 

In Matthew 6:14-15 is says: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Wow! This is a powerful verse!  This is one of the many verses that inspires me, motivates me and helps me to choose to forgive. It's not always an easy process, but it's always worth it because forgiveness brings peace into your life. Living with peace is nothing short of AMAZING!!! And it's not that kind of peace you experience from worldly experiences. It's a God peace. God's peace it says in the Bible surpasses human understanding. It's super sweet my friends. 

So in summation, forgiveness is necessary and important work and it's one of the best gifts you can give to yourself and others too. The pay off is: freedom, peace, and wholeness. You will feel better about yourself, the situation and where you stand in your relationship with God and others. Unforgiveness keeps you from experiencing God's best and all the beautiful blessings He desires for you. When you refuse to forgive, you open the doors to bitterness. But when you choose forgiveness, you open yourself up to peace and harmony in your life. 

Until next time, if you're in a season where you have an opportunity to forgive someone or yourself, I hope and pray that you will choose to forgive. It's worth it and you will be glad you did. 

Blessings, 

Ruthie

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you. May He be gracious to you, lift you up and bless you with His peace.  ~Numbers 24-26

When God’s face shines upon you, that’s Big Daddy smiling at you, beloved.

Unforgiveness in your heart will hurt you more than anyone else. ~ Joyce Meyer

Forgiveness is the economy of the heart. Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.  ~ Hannah More 

When you forgive, you in no way change the past but you sure do change the future.  ~ Bernard Meltzer

You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well. ~ Lewis B. Smedes 

Forgive and give as if it were your last opportunity. Love like there’s no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again. ~ Max Lucado

Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner! ~ Max Lucado

Feelings

One of the things I’ve learned that make us all the same is: feelings. Yes, feelings. We all have them about one thing or another. And every single day, we have feelings that we process. Our feelings can be about the news we watch, the people we do life with, or where our lives and careers are headed.

Sometimes our feelings are great and wonderful and other times our feelings are really not a big deal, not worth talking about or sharing. And yet during difficult times, some feelings can be out right overwhelming, exhausting and consuming. Feelings I’ve learned can be very tricky sometimes and quite dangerous when they’re not healthy.

I’ve learned that if we over think something we can feel a thousand different ways about the same thing. Have you ever experienced that? What a silly question. Of course you have. When we over think something, negative thoughts have a way of creeping in that cause us to experience feelings that are fanatical and unreliable that make us feel a little nuts. Been there? If you have, trust me, you’re not alone. Every one has experienced this at one time or another if they’ve lived long enough.  

If you’re in a tricky season and feel that you’re experiencing and feeling a thousand different ways about something, or someone, give it to God. Give it to God and ask Him to help you. The battle we fight daily is the battle we have with our minds.

I’ve read and heard and have learned through the years that we all have the ability and the power to change what we think and how we think. And what we think and how we think will either produce healthy or unhealthy feelings.

When we choose to seek and ground ourselves with positive thoughts, we equip ourselves to think in a healthy manner, producing healthy feelings and healthy thoughts. But we must choose healthy over unhealthy and refuse to allow unhealthy thinking and feelings to dictate and dominate our lives. Unhealthy feelings happen to everyone but we mustn’t allow those feelings to take over because it sucks the life out of us and robs us of our joy. 

If we want to live a life free of "consuming" unhealthy feelings, it starts by refusing to be led by unhealthy feelings and thoughts and grounding ourselves in truth.

And I’m re-learning that truth has a powerful way of setting us free and producing healthy thoughts and feelings. So today, I choose truth over feelings because real freedom always comes from truth. Always.

Until next time … wishing you beautiful, healthy thoughts and feelings grounded in truth and freedom.

xx, Ruthie

I am the way and the truth and the life. ~ Jesus (John 14:6)

The truth will set you free. ~ Jesus (John 8:32)

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

PRAYER: The Great Connector

One day the disciples requested of Jesus: “Teach us to pray.”  Jesus responded by giving them—and us—a marvelous model of prayer.  What is so powerful about the Lord’s Prayer, as it is known, is its utter simplicity.

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored and kept holy. May your kingdom come soon.  May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.  Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.  And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. 

~ Matthew 6:9-13 NLT

The key to prayer is to start simply and quietly.  That’s the idea behind Jesus’ model prayer.  We need a touchstone, a place to start.  Then, as we get to know God better, we will feel comfortable sharing the most intimate details of our lives with Him.

If the Bible is God talking to us, then prayer is us talking to God.  It’s the primary way of connecting to the infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God.  Edward Ferrell wrote that “without prayer, there is no way, no truth, no life.”  Without prayer, you can never get close to God.

Try it.  Start small.  Start with the small stuff in your life.  Talk to God about it in a quiet, isolated place where your self-consciousness isn’t an issue.  As you continue daily, your capacity for prayer will grow larger.  That’s because prayer is like a muscle.  If you exercise it regularly, your prayer muscle will gain strength and your appreciation for God will grow immeasurably.  On the other hand, if you don’t use it, your prayer muscle will shrivel up and your capacity for God will shrink.  And in those times of crisis when you suddenly feel compelled to pray, it will likely be a painful experience.

The good news is that God doesn’t put conditions on your prayer life.  His feelings don’t get hurt when you don’t pray.  But when you do, He connects with you in a powerful way.  Try it today. Talk to God.  He’s listening.

• Prayer changes things.
• Pray for people who dislike you.
• Pray for people you dislike.
• When you pray, be careful to distinguish your needs from your desire.
• Prayer without effort will be insincere.  Effort without prayer will be ineffective.
• If your prayers don’t mean anything to you, they mean even less to God.
• Live humbly and pray likewise.
• Don’t pray for a lighter load.  Pray for a stronger back.
• Become quiet before God in the busiest and nosiest part of your day.
• Prayer involves listening to God as well as speaking to Him.
• You can’t stand up against the enemy if you don’t kneel before God.
• Pray with perseverance and expectancy.
• At its core, prayer is giving yourself to God.
• Pray as if the task depends on God and work as if it depends on you.
• The next time you feel weak in the knees, try using them to pray.
• There is no such thing as a successful or unsuccessful prayer.
• People may not talk about their prayer habits, but their lives speak volumes when they pray.

~Author: Unknown

A Note from Ruthie:

According to my journal entry, I read the above words in June 2005. I’m not sure who wrote these words but I do remember that reading this helped change my prayer life and how I connect with God. I hope it does the same for you too. Blessings to you and yours. 

Until next time, 

xx, Ruthie

It is finished

Today many of us observe what is well known as Good Friday.  And on Good Friday more than any other Friday, we remember what Jesus did for us on Calvary.

As I pondered what Good Friday represents and what Jesus did for us, I recognize that what He did was no small thing and whispered a quiet thank you to Him. A quiet whisper seems incredibly insufficient, don’t you think? But truly I am overwhelming grateful when I sit and ponder His greatness.

“It is finished” are the final words of Jesus on the cross at Calvary before He gave up His life for us. He said, “It is finished,” then bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

It is finished means that He accomplished what He came to do. Those who believe by faith are saved by grace. We are not and will never be saved by our own performance. The Bible is pretty clear on that and boy am I ever glad for that because if it was up to good works, I would never get into heaven. Truth be told, we all fail when it come to “enough” good works. I could, we could never do enough good and we could never be good enough. In fact, the Bible says that only God is good.

The truest definition of who we are in Christ means, it is finished. It is "done." I’m so thankful for that.

Today's Prayer:

Thank you God for sending us Your Son Jesus to die on a cross for us. And thank You Jesus for loving us so much that You gave up Your life so we could live. Thank you for helping me understand this mystery. Thank you God for revealing Yourself to me and for helping me recognize truth and for helping me believe. I will never fully understand that kind of love, that Jesus died for me, He paid my sin debt.  I am grateful beyond what my simple words could ever express. Thank you. My cup runneth over ... 

Until next time, 

xx, Ruthie

Saying no is necessary

Saying no is very necessary sometimes. Saying no so you can say yes to time and space and self-care and recovery is not only healthy but very necessary. And saying no to honor your priorities and the commitments you make to yourself are equally important and necessary as well.

Yes, saying no is very good indeed. So throw out the guilt. Abolish the negative self-talk and practice honoring your mind, body and spirit regularly and be good to you! We weren't created to say yes to all things and to all people. And we weren’t created to live without periods of adequate rest and soul care. Rest and soul care are very important, very necessary so practice saying no more often and without the guilt and say yes to you, because you’re worth it and because you deserve it!

Wishing you wellness and wholeness today and always.

Until next time,

xx, Ruthie

Scars Don't Still Hurt

This is a very short but powerful message from Beth Moore. And here's my confession: I can relate to what Beth shares in the video 100% percent. I'm not proud of this but if I'm going to be an honest writer, I must admit that I've done some pretty stupid things in my past when I felt rejected or when I learned that I was deceived by a disingenuous person who I thought loved and cared about me. Truth be told, rejection hurts. It shreds your heart into a million tiny pieces. It's awful and can provoke us to do dumb things that we later regret deeply. And here's what I've learned when I've been deeply hurt and wounded: You have to give yourself time, space and grace when you're doing soul work and you must absolutely be kind to yourself on practicing good self-care during times of emotional healing. 

Healing can be a very messy process. There are so many emotions involved. For the most part, when the wound is fresh, we feel small and fragile and we're always seconds away from crying. Can anyone relate to this??? We don't feel very strong or courageous or confident when we're wounded. In fact, we feel joy-less and every day looks gray even if the sun is shining. And yet if we are going to heal and move on, I have learned that healing is for the courageous at heart. It takes real courage and true guts to fight through staying stuck in the pain and rising above. It's hard and gutsy work. Healing is possible and you don't have to do it alone. God will help you if you let Him in.

I've also learned that forgiving those who hurt us is absolutely essential to God healing our wounds. Forgiving them doesn't mean that you condone what they did. In fact it has less to do with the person who hurt us and has everything to do with letting go and liberating ourselves. It's about accepting that the past could have been any different. It's about moving on. I've learned that when we make the decision to forgive someone, it's an act of obedience to God and God meets us in the pain and delivers us from hurting. It doesn't happen over night, but it does happen. 

I've also learned that God is our only true healer, our only true tear dryer and heart mender. Beloved reader, if you're in a season of emotional healing, please be kind to yourself. Please give yourself time, grace and space. Please be patient. Healing will come. It takes time and until it does, I hope these words will bless you and encourage you. 

Wishing you peace and wholeness today and always.

Until next time, 

xx, Ruthie 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear. ~ Psalm 46:1-2

God never wastes a hurt if we let Him write our story.  ~ Steve Saint