A Different Mindset

There's been something on my mind lately, and it just keeps popping up. There's a saying that keeps surfacing in different ways that makes me think we're going about life the wrong way in how we handle those that "mishandle" us. It's been posted as a favorite quote on Facebook, passed around in email several times lately, and is even posted on my secretary's desk for her to focus on as she deals with the public. The saying goes "Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason...yada, yada, yada".

Now I don't want to preach a sermon here, but if we are true women of God then we should have a problem with this statement and I just want to bring that to light. Luke 6 tells us the following: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

It's natural for us to want to return someones actions or comments with more of the same, but the Bible tells us we should treat them as we want to be treated (not as they've treated us). This is much easier said than done; we all know that from experience. We hurt when someone doesn't treat us with love, but that doesn't give us an excuse to mistreat them or dismiss them as if they don't matter. If we return love only to those who love us, we're no better than the lost. That's Bible! It takes much more to love those who don't show love to us, but we are to follow the example of the Most High and he was "kind to the ungrateful and wicked". I John 2:6 tells us that "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did". Well, how did Jesus walk? Did He only love those that loved Him? Absolutely not! Did He just forget about those that didn't treat Him right? Praise God He did not!!!

Like I said earlier, I'm not trying to preach or anything. I just have been bothered by this statement or way of thinking since I began seeing this comment pop up months ago. If you were one of the ones to post this as a favorite comment or you've circulated one of the emails, don't think this is intended to criticize in any way. That is not my intention at all. This is just something God has laid on my heart, and I wanted to share it with you all. I have been dealing with criticism/persecution lately (some very public), so the urge to "dismiss" those that are mistreating me is strong. BUT through the Word and the strength that God gives me, I can love those that persecute me and pray for them. Praying for them is actually the only way that I feel I can endure this trying time. I know that all of us go through times (probably daily) when we're mistreated and unloved by the world and we want to return those actions/emotions, but let us all remember the example of Christ to love our enemies, do good to those that hate us, and bless those who curse us!

I love each one of you and thank God for placing you in my life!!

Missed Opportunities

I received a call today from the library on campus. The person on the line said that a student had come in and said that her life had been threatened last night and that she needed to use the computer real quick. Since I oversee the Student Affairs department, I was called to see if the student could come and speak with me (I assumed that the student wanted to file a complaint - maybe the person doing the threatening was also a student - and in this case we have to get involved). I agreed of course and within a few minutes, this young lady was sitting in front of me in tears explaining to me the telephone call that she had received last night.

After she explained to me that the person never used her name and just said they were going to kill her and gave her the date, I told her that my hope is that this is just a simple Halloween prank and that someone randomly dialed her number and made the threat. I told her that I have heard of this happening quite often around this time of year (as I'm sure many of you have too). I gave her my recommendation for what to do with the telephone company/police, and then I had the opportunity to tell her that I wanted to pray for her and her safety in case this was actually someone that was trying to hurt her.

I tell you this story because it reminds me of the opportunities that God places in our lives every day to share with others about Him and His love for them. Some days we may have the opportunity to share the gospel and other days it may be a simple word of encouragement or an offer to pray for someone in need. But whatever the case, we must make sure that we are open to the moving of the Spirit and willing to say "yes" to Him when He pushes us in a certain direction.

I wonder how many opportunities we've missed because we were too busy with our own lives to realize that there was someone right in front of us who was screaming out for something that we could have shared with them??

Daily RX

I had a dream last night that got me to thinking about the Bible and the influence that it has on my life and on the flip side...the influence that it may not have on my life if I fail to use it!

Those of you who know me well know that I suffer from severe migraines and that I am on daily medication to prevent the migraines. My dream was me explaining the medicine to someone and how I have been free from the migraines for an extended period of time because I've been taking this medication twice a day for a couple of years now. Because I have a constant level of the medicine in my system, the nerves in my brain are dulled and when the migraines do strike I don't feel the full effect of them.

Now I know that this was just a dream about medication, but I am one who tries to find a spiritual insight in everything...so I started thinking about how I could relate this dream to my walk with the Lord. I'm sure you can see where this is headed.

If we will take the word of God and infuse it into our lives daily, then when the trials of the world or tough times come our way I'm confident that we will not "feel the full effect of them". Through His word, God gives us everything that we need to face the obstacles that will come...we can face them with boldness knowing that we will come out on the other side as wiser and stronger women in Him.

So next time you go to the medicine cabinet to take your daily vitamins or other medications, remember the most important prescription of all!!

Psalm 119:16 I DELIGHT IN YOUR DECREES; I WILL NOT NEGLECT YOUR WORD.

Welcome to The Ladies Room!

Have you ever been in one of those situations when you needed to tell one of your girlfriends something really important or maybe personal and you needed a place to go to do so? Did you ever slip away real quick to "the ladies room" to share those thoughts?

Well, the purpose of this blog is just that...a place for women to come together and share our thought and feelings about things that may not be shared in more corporate settings. I hope that this blog will serve as a ministry to many women. Hopefully we can be an encouragement to each other as we share life experiences and things that we have learned from them.

I know that the Lord can (and does) work in all situations, and I'm sure that we all have things to share that will benefit each other. Join me on this ministry journey as we strive to enrich the lives of women!