Internal Peace

It seems to go in cycles. The bashing of God or anything Biblical. At least among my friends on FB. Things seem to be calm for a while and FB is enjoyable, then, out of nowhere, every post, it seems, is trying to knock down God and humiliate Christians. A true Christ-follower will be saddened, even grieved, by these posts but never humiliated or deterred. And as for knocking down God, well, that's not gonna happen, except in their own minds.

 

 My spirit is grieved every time I see these posts. Making fun of Christians, God, and the Bible. But, Christ-followers know that this is going to happen. Guess how? Yep, the Bible!! Nothing that happens is truly surprising. The Bible has already said in John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” You know what would be really surprising? If the people criticizing Christ-followers decided to show love instead of hatred. But Satan does not love, only hate. And if you are not for God, you are for Satan. They may not believe that and that is their choice.

 

 One of the wonderful things about God is that

He gave us free will.

 

 WE get to choose if we want to follow Him or not. Sometimes, following God is hard. We lose friendships and relationships. We get ostracized from our families. Sometimes our families hurt us the most. But God is with us. “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the ends of the earth” Matthew 28:20. We may lose our friends and families but when we look at eternity, it pales in comparison. Our lives here on earth are relatively short, eternity is forever. And those who mock us will one day bow to God. They don't believe it but it will happen. But, in the midst of our sadness and grieving, God gives us peace.

 

 And that is what they do not understand.

 

 Mock me, hurt me, even torture me and my physical body may break, even my mind may break, but my soul, my spirit, no, it has an eternal peace and serenity that only God can give. My guess is that they would like that too. But you cannot get it on your own. Only through Jesus. Becoming a Christ-follower and allowing God to have your life is the only way. So while you may grieve me and make me sad, I have an internal peace and joy that you don't.

 

 You cannot take that from me.

 

 It's what keeps me going when things get tough, it's what allows me to love you and care about you when you mock me and hurt me. It doesn't come from me, it comes from God. My humanness would never allow that, it would mock and hurt right back.

 

But God is love.

 

 And love conquers all.

 

10,000 things

God is always doing

 

10,000

 

things in your life,

 

and you may be aware of

 

three of them.

 

-John Piper

Today is my fathers birthday. I have no idea where he is. He walked out of my life many years ago and I have not heard from him since. I try to keep track of what is going on in his life from people who know him but he always walks away from them too so I lose track of him. Right now, I don't know where he is. Rumor is he's in Indiana. But, it really doesn't matter where he is or what he has done, I still love him because he's my father. So Joseph, wherever you are, I hope you find the peace you are looking for and I hope your birthday is good. I love you.

Simplifying-Homemade Dishwasher Soap

As you know, my goal this year is to

 

SIMPLIFY

 

Part of that process is moving towards a healthier way of life. One thing I am doing is moving away from chemical based cleaners and either buying green versions or

 

{gasp!}

 

making my own! It really is simple to make your own cleaners and is much, much cheaper.

 

 I've started making my own dishwasher soap. We had to fiddle with the amount we put in the dishwasher to find out what works but now that we have the amount right, it seems to be cleaning better than the commercial name-brand. I've also been using vinegar for the rinse. It is so much cheaper! Next week, I'm going to start making my own laundry soap. I'll let you know how that goes. I have been using vinegar for the fabric softener/static control and it works great!

 

 The reason I'm not doing it all at once has to do with simplifying. Yes, I want to move to a more healthy lifestyle, but trying to do it all at once is counterproductive. In other words, it will cause

 

STRESS

 

and that is exactly what I don't want!! Making changes a little at a time not only keeps the stress away but it also helps ensure that the changes will stay. They just become part of our routine and that is exactly what I want. Creating a simpler life is what I want.

 

 Are you simplifying this year?

 

What are you doing to simplify?

 

 

 

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

 

1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup Baking Soda

1/4 cup Kosher Salt

(Kosher works best because of the coarseness)

 

Mix all together and store in covered container. 

 

I use about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons in my dishwasher.  Start with about 3/4 tablespoon and work your way up to whatever works best in your dishwasher.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

 

 

 

Any New Years Resolutions out there? Let me share mine with you.

 

 I will be living more simply.

 

This is in all aspects of my life-buying things, eating, busyness, clutter, inner self.

 

I will be creating and enjoying a simpler life.  

 

I will also be working on being less selfish, which, if you think about it,

kinda goes along with living simple.

 

 I'm going to try, no, I am, going to think of others more and put myself last.

 

What ways are you going to better yourself this year?