26 April 2017

Tree Talk


When I was younger, I remember my mom specifically coming into my room late one night and before we prayed she bestowed her wisdom upon me.

“Alicia,” she said. “I want you to not always pray for the same tree. Know that you can talk to God about anything you want! Don’t always just say the same prayers over and over, but tell Jesus what is on your heart.”

I folded my hands trying to figure out what my mom had just shared with me. So I began my prayer as normal. Something to the effect of, “God, I thank you for Grandma and Grandpa and Mom and Dad and Laura and Diana and winning the last baseball game. God, I also pray for our crape myrtle and our pecan tree.”

The next night I prayed something like this, ““God, I thank you for Grandma and Grandpa and Mom and Dad and Laura and Diana. I also pray for Grandma and Grandpa’s pecan tree, umm, and our pecan tree....” I peeked out of the corner of my eye to see if I would get in trouble praying for God to the same tree! I ran out of trees to pray for at that point!

While my mom was just trying to teach me to talk to God and pour out my heart to him, I only heard to pray for different trees. There are times our prayers may look the same for a while, “God please somehow heal my back.” Or “God, help me be content in my singleness.” Or “God, you have to help me on this test!” But we must be laying our heart before the throne and presenting our requests to the Lord.

Do you feel like there is something you need to lay down at his feet asking for His will to be done and not your own?

Are you praying your heart out when you talk to God? 

05 April 2017

Walking in Love

I've been thinking a lot lately about loving one another.  How horrible of a terror it must be to not be able to love.  But even moreso, how scary and terrifying it must be to think you can't love well.  1 John 3:14 says, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death."  Did anyone else just read what I did?!  'Anyone who does not love remains in death.'  That's a scary thought.  Sometimes Satan tries to tell me i am a lousy friend.  That what I say and do is not received as love by the receiver.  I don't like that thought. 

To have someone not understand that I care for them, to see someone I care for be hurt, and people kicking your chair in the movies are three things I am not very fond of. 


I had a long talk today with a friend of mine and she is struggling with a little bit of the same thing.  How one receives love, verses how one expresses it and where it all gets lost in translation.  One of my friends over break randomly asked me this as we were watching TV, 'How can I best love you as a friend?'  I've never been asked that before.  It made me wonder if there is anything I could or should do different to let my friends know how much I care for them and feel blessed God has given me such sisters and friendships.  Satan's been trying to scare me and chase me off telling me why bother when my efforts will be lost in translation.  It is up to the Holy Spirit to get the message across once it leaves my hands.  My friend came up with this illustration referencing something else but i think it is valid here.  She said if she walks in deep snow leaving footprints, and a while later a boy walks in her steps to save time, it doesn't give her credit because she did not purposefully walk there for the boy.  She was walking because she had some place to be.  I see it as how cool is it she could bless the boy and make his path easier without knowing she did so.  How cool is it she could express her love for people without even knowing it (and she does have a sincere love for all people). 

Reposting from my Xanga 23 Jan 2007