What are some things God has given you spiritual discernment about, recently or in the past? It may even be something you are still working out...
Showing posts with label accountability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accountability. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Spiritual Discernment
Over the past several years, the Lord has shown me spiritual discernment in many areas. Some of these are about modesty, false doctrine, my actions.
What are some things God has given you spiritual discernment about, recently or in the past? It may even be something you are still working out...
What are some things God has given you spiritual discernment about, recently or in the past? It may even be something you are still working out...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I Feel Old: My time to vent
Next month I will celebrate my 24th birthday. I know, I'm still a babe. However, I certainly don't feel young, I feel old, very old. I don't know exactly what it is. I just know that something needs to change.
All of my life I couldn't even mention "exercise" or "eating right" without someone piping up, "You're skinny enough, you don't need to exercise" or "You need to put some meat on those bones!"
Sigh. Did you know that it's hard being "skinny" sometimes? Please let me speak honestly here, I let you....now please let me.
I get tired of people looking at my plate and saying, "Is that all you're going to eat?" I like to get a little now and return later if I still feel hungry and get more. I don't look at other people's plates and say, "Oh my word, are you going to eat ALL of that?!?!"
I get tired of people (especially women) assuming I don't need to exercise because I am "skinny". Or that I don't need to eat right because I'm "thin" and can "eat whatever I want and not gain an ounce."
It's hard being "skinny" because others think that your life is just easier. I'm sure that overweight people get made fun of and are talked about much more. But please be aware, I've had my share of being talked about and poked at, especially in the ribs (which hurts).
I think the most common misconception is that people who are "skinny", men and women alike, are healthy. Did you know that even "skinny" people can drop dead of a heart attack?
The reason why I am writing all of this is to say that I'm going to change my unhealthy lifestyle, today.
I am tired of waking up feeling like I've been hit by a truck. I hate (strong word, but I think I can use it here) that I can't stretch without pulling something. Seriously, I have pulled muscles several times just by reaching in the back seat of my car, washing my back in the shower, or stretching my legs when I wake up in the morning. I have a constant pain in my rotator cuff that just won't go away......and I have.no.energy. Everyday I feel like I have run a marathon.
This is about to change. Onto the fun stuff!
Every Tuesday, I've going to have "Think Healthy Tuesday." A lot of people are jumping into "Think Thin Thursdays," I need my own version of this since I can hear it now.......
So anyways, every Tuesday I'm going to report back to you how I'm improved towards a healthy lifestyle.
My first plans are to:
Go to bed by 10, so I can get up easily at 7 (I'd eventually like to join the 6 o'clock club)
Eat breakfast every morning (a healthy one)
Drink water all day, limit to one "sweet" drink a day. I can drink milk anytime (Fat free).
Exercise three days a week for at least ten minutes each (I'm starting small so I'll stay with it).
Thank you for letting me vent. I need to tell my friends how I feel, I know you will understand AND help keep me accountable. I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. E-mail me if I did, and we'll work it out :D I just really need some support right now :D
Let me know if you're interesting in joining in with me every Tuesday!
All of my life I couldn't even mention "exercise" or "eating right" without someone piping up, "You're skinny enough, you don't need to exercise" or "You need to put some meat on those bones!"
Sigh. Did you know that it's hard being "skinny" sometimes? Please let me speak honestly here, I let you....now please let me.
I get tired of people looking at my plate and saying, "Is that all you're going to eat?" I like to get a little now and return later if I still feel hungry and get more. I don't look at other people's plates and say, "Oh my word, are you going to eat ALL of that?!?!"
I get tired of people (especially women) assuming I don't need to exercise because I am "skinny". Or that I don't need to eat right because I'm "thin" and can "eat whatever I want and not gain an ounce."
It's hard being "skinny" because others think that your life is just easier. I'm sure that overweight people get made fun of and are talked about much more. But please be aware, I've had my share of being talked about and poked at, especially in the ribs (which hurts).
I think the most common misconception is that people who are "skinny", men and women alike, are healthy. Did you know that even "skinny" people can drop dead of a heart attack?
The reason why I am writing all of this is to say that I'm going to change my unhealthy lifestyle, today.
I am tired of waking up feeling like I've been hit by a truck. I hate (strong word, but I think I can use it here) that I can't stretch without pulling something. Seriously, I have pulled muscles several times just by reaching in the back seat of my car, washing my back in the shower, or stretching my legs when I wake up in the morning. I have a constant pain in my rotator cuff that just won't go away......and I have.no.energy. Everyday I feel like I have run a marathon.
This is about to change. Onto the fun stuff!
Every Tuesday, I've going to have "Think Healthy Tuesday." A lot of people are jumping into "Think Thin Thursdays," I need my own version of this since I can hear it now.......
So anyways, every Tuesday I'm going to report back to you how I'm improved towards a healthy lifestyle.
My first plans are to:
Go to bed by 10, so I can get up easily at 7 (I'd eventually like to join the 6 o'clock club)
Eat breakfast every morning (a healthy one)
Drink water all day, limit to one "sweet" drink a day. I can drink milk anytime (Fat free).
Exercise three days a week for at least ten minutes each (I'm starting small so I'll stay with it).
Thank you for letting me vent. I need to tell my friends how I feel, I know you will understand AND help keep me accountable. I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. E-mail me if I did, and we'll work it out :D I just really need some support right now :D
Let me know if you're interesting in joining in with me every Tuesday!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Defeat Gossip Challenge: Idle Time Makes Time for Gossip
Some tips for eliminating gossip tend to focus on eliminating wasteful time spent.1)No idle time.
2)Be wise in phone conversations, cut it short or have answering machine take messages.
3)Don't waste time in wasteful talking. Also don't talk too much. (Proverbs 10:19)
Luckily, I've never been a phone gossiper. There are so many more things I could be doing than talking on the phone about other people.
There is one thing that every town, community and even church has, a phone gossiper who is always "tearin" up the line!
May we always make the most of the spare time we have and use our phone calls in a needful way.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Day 5: Say Nothing
I truly believe that the hardest thing in this world is taming the tongue, really! For me to "say nothing" is very very hard! This past Friday at work, I had every intention of keeping low-key and not saying much of anything.
How did it go? Well, let me ask you a question? Have you ever started out a day and thought, "I'm going to really get in TROUBLE today!" That was my day on Friday, I could not keep my mouth shut. On average, I work with two or three ladies and we are almost always talking to each other. As soon as I would say something that day, whether it was gossip or sarcastic, or whatever, I envisioned a tally mark going up. My day on Friday was a reminder of how imperfect I am and the true need for a change. Only through Christ can I change from being the mouthy person I am to being graceful and kind.
UPDATE: Monday I went to work and spoke very little. I was trying to control what I say.....by saying very little (all or nothing I suppose :P). My co-worker did notice a difference and asked if I was "feeling bad, upset, or just not feeling like talking". I just responded that I was tired, which made me quiet (not to mention that I'm trying to keep myself out of trouble :D, which I did not mention).
If my co-worker can notice and comment on the difference in my talkativeness, surely this should be a great motivator to change many things that hurt my witness for Christ.
I want her, and others to see the difference Christ has made in me.
How did it go? Well, let me ask you a question? Have you ever started out a day and thought, "I'm going to really get in TROUBLE today!" That was my day on Friday, I could not keep my mouth shut. On average, I work with two or three ladies and we are almost always talking to each other. As soon as I would say something that day, whether it was gossip or sarcastic, or whatever, I envisioned a tally mark going up. My day on Friday was a reminder of how imperfect I am and the true need for a change. Only through Christ can I change from being the mouthy person I am to being graceful and kind.
UPDATE: Monday I went to work and spoke very little. I was trying to control what I say.....by saying very little (all or nothing I suppose :P). My co-worker did notice a difference and asked if I was "feeling bad, upset, or just not feeling like talking". I just responded that I was tired, which made me quiet (not to mention that I'm trying to keep myself out of trouble :D, which I did not mention).
If my co-worker can notice and comment on the difference in my talkativeness, surely this should be a great motivator to change many things that hurt my witness for Christ.
I want her, and others to see the difference Christ has made in me.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Day 3: Avoid Settings That Lead to Gossip
Top Places to Gossip:
1)Work
2)School
3)Home
4)Church
Can these places be avoided? Mostly, yes. Should they? Absolutely not!
Work: If you work outside of the home, you know well enough that the best place to find gossip is at the work place. So what do you do when you find yourself around gossip? A friend of mine told me about a co-worker she worked with years ago who would leave the breakroom if gossip came up. What a great example! It was VERY convicting to my friend who witnessed this. Gossip can be avoided by watching out for the areas where it takes place, and the people who start it. This may mean that you have your morning break by yourself, or pass up the copy machine when there is a line of gossipers waiting.
School: When I was a freshman in college, I had an hour break between my afternoon classes. Instead of studying or doing homework, my friend and I would watch everyone. We would pick out people, some we knew and some we didn't, and talk about them. We did not necessarily talk bad talk, but just wasteful chat, like how cute someone was, or how someones skirt was a little too....almost not there.
A lot of time was spent wasted by concerning myself with other people. The following semesters I spent in the library by myself, or running errands around town. Idleness is a quick route to gossip, it was for me.
Home: Gossip happens A LOT at home. If you don't think that it happens in your home....ipay careful attention. I know that I often have this notion that home is the "okay" place to gossip, after all....it's just my family I am talking to. I cannot allow my attitudes towards someone else affect the way that my family sees that person. How hard is that? VERY! We want to trust our family with our secrets and the things we share about others, but it can be very dangerous. I have allowed members of my family to affect my feelings about others...even though I got along with the person just fine.
Church: Eek! When I was a child I had the idea that if you were going to lie, just make sure it wasn't in church, even though it was wrong, PERIOD! Same with gossip, if you're going to talk bad about someone, just don't do it in the church, it makes God unhappy. However, suddenly, gossip in church crept up on me. Back in the day, when I was little, I thought that every lady in the church was sweet and the best Christian women you could find. Then I got older and learned more about others via gossip. I can never look at the same women with the admiration I had had before, even though they had done nothing to me to make me feel differently.
Gossip taking place in church can soon seem "needful". Everything that is said on the church grounds seems safe....add the word "prayer" and suddenly telling everyone that you saw Mike talking to another woman really does not seem like gossip, but like a prayer request. Hmmmm.....
________________________________________________
UPDATE: How many times do you unintentionally make a comment and suddenly, you're talking about somebody? Whew....I did that today. I offhandedly brought up a silly remark and words begin to fly from my co-workers...and me. I quickly put it back to rest. This reminded me of a fire that is dwindling done to tiny glowing ashes, then throwing dry straw on it, and suddenly you have a raging fire. This is the way gossip is.
The Lord showed me today the effects on my little remarks, and how they can fuel a fire. I also put into practice not allowing being alone with someone as this could open a window to gossip. If gossip starts, it should be turned quickly around. One thing to help, say, "I got to go to the restroom!" Maybe the person will forget what they were saying. Baby steps..... hehe!
1)Work
2)School
3)Home
4)Church
Can these places be avoided? Mostly, yes. Should they? Absolutely not!
Work: If you work outside of the home, you know well enough that the best place to find gossip is at the work place. So what do you do when you find yourself around gossip? A friend of mine told me about a co-worker she worked with years ago who would leave the breakroom if gossip came up. What a great example! It was VERY convicting to my friend who witnessed this. Gossip can be avoided by watching out for the areas where it takes place, and the people who start it. This may mean that you have your morning break by yourself, or pass up the copy machine when there is a line of gossipers waiting.
School: When I was a freshman in college, I had an hour break between my afternoon classes. Instead of studying or doing homework, my friend and I would watch everyone. We would pick out people, some we knew and some we didn't, and talk about them. We did not necessarily talk bad talk, but just wasteful chat, like how cute someone was, or how someones skirt was a little too....almost not there.
A lot of time was spent wasted by concerning myself with other people. The following semesters I spent in the library by myself, or running errands around town. Idleness is a quick route to gossip, it was for me.
Home: Gossip happens A LOT at home. If you don't think that it happens in your home....ipay careful attention. I know that I often have this notion that home is the "okay" place to gossip, after all....it's just my family I am talking to. I cannot allow my attitudes towards someone else affect the way that my family sees that person. How hard is that? VERY! We want to trust our family with our secrets and the things we share about others, but it can be very dangerous. I have allowed members of my family to affect my feelings about others...even though I got along with the person just fine.
Church: Eek! When I was a child I had the idea that if you were going to lie, just make sure it wasn't in church, even though it was wrong, PERIOD! Same with gossip, if you're going to talk bad about someone, just don't do it in the church, it makes God unhappy. However, suddenly, gossip in church crept up on me. Back in the day, when I was little, I thought that every lady in the church was sweet and the best Christian women you could find. Then I got older and learned more about others via gossip. I can never look at the same women with the admiration I had had before, even though they had done nothing to me to make me feel differently.
Gossip taking place in church can soon seem "needful". Everything that is said on the church grounds seems safe....add the word "prayer" and suddenly telling everyone that you saw Mike talking to another woman really does not seem like gossip, but like a prayer request. Hmmmm.....
________________________________________________
UPDATE: How many times do you unintentionally make a comment and suddenly, you're talking about somebody? Whew....I did that today. I offhandedly brought up a silly remark and words begin to fly from my co-workers...and me. I quickly put it back to rest. This reminded me of a fire that is dwindling done to tiny glowing ashes, then throwing dry straw on it, and suddenly you have a raging fire. This is the way gossip is.
The Lord showed me today the effects on my little remarks, and how they can fuel a fire. I also put into practice not allowing being alone with someone as this could open a window to gossip. If gossip starts, it should be turned quickly around. One thing to help, say, "I got to go to the restroom!" Maybe the person will forget what they were saying. Baby steps..... hehe!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Day 2: Defeat Gossip Challenge
Day 2 Challenge: "Agree with friends and family not to gossip"
Question: What do YOU consider to be gossip among others? Can you talk about the truth with others about someone without it being considered gossip? Where is the line drawn?
___________________________________________
UPDATE: Making an announcement, "Hear Ye, Hear Ye! I will know longer be gossiping, so please make note!" is really not easy, or the best way to handle alerting others of my challenge. It really is best talking to people one-on-one about it. For instance: A friend of mine and I were discussing a situation concerning a particular person I am close to. After telling the situation, which was needful to be told, I committed to my friend that I was not going to say anything negative about this person....period! Emphasizing this to my friend encourages me to be an example to her, and her accountability helps keep my attitude in check.
Question: What do YOU consider to be gossip among others? Can you talk about the truth with others about someone without it being considered gossip? Where is the line drawn?
___________________________________________
UPDATE: Making an announcement, "Hear Ye, Hear Ye! I will know longer be gossiping, so please make note!" is really not easy, or the best way to handle alerting others of my challenge. It really is best talking to people one-on-one about it. For instance: A friend of mine and I were discussing a situation concerning a particular person I am close to. After telling the situation, which was needful to be told, I committed to my friend that I was not going to say anything negative about this person....period! Emphasizing this to my friend encourages me to be an example to her, and her accountability helps keep my attitude in check.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Defeat Gossip Challenge
It has been a huge burden on my heart for a long time now, and has recently been brought to my attention by others.....I have a bad, bad attitude. I do not know when it started, but I have been on this mean streak that MUST come to an end. Bad thoughts and attitudes towards others has brought gossip out of my mouth and unkindness out of my heart.
To help me with this HUGE problem, which has progressed over time, I'm going to take one day at a time to banish my bad attitude (which brings forth gossip).
Everyday I will carry an index card with a new "step" to defeat gossip. Here is where I found my so-called "steps."
Tomorrow: "Think godly thoughts of others" Will you join me in this fight (flesh and spirit)?
UPDATE: Today I tried to turn thoughts of others to good thoughts about them. I was confused at what it meant to "think godly thoughts of others". What does that mean to you? To be "godly" and think well of others? Or to think of ways people are godly?
To help me with this HUGE problem, which has progressed over time, I'm going to take one day at a time to banish my bad attitude (which brings forth gossip).
Everyday I will carry an index card with a new "step" to defeat gossip. Here is where I found my so-called "steps."
Tomorrow: "Think godly thoughts of others" Will you join me in this fight (flesh and spirit)?
UPDATE: Today I tried to turn thoughts of others to good thoughts about them. I was confused at what it meant to "think godly thoughts of others". What does that mean to you? To be "godly" and think well of others? Or to think of ways people are godly?
Monday, June 23, 2008
New To-Do List!
If you notice, at the top right of my blog there is a list of things I need to get done around the house. I am such a procrastinator and will put off things for so long. With my work schedule keeping me busy I need to be held accountable to come home and get to work until the work is complete. I know that my house keeping has not been honoring God, thus cluttering my mind while I'm here. Please check up on me every once and a while. I really need some support with this. THANKS!
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