Who am I accountable to?

July 9, 2021July 9, 2021 Laura GraceLeave a comment

Letter #20: Letting Go and Avoiding Strife

My Dear Children,

I woke up this morning thinking about how when you were younger, I had to avoid people who did not agree with me, to stay focused. When I say people who did not agree, I mean those who were very vocal about what they thought I should be doing.

Moms, Grandmas, and others can be formidable forces in our lives while we are raising children. It is hard to stay focused when you have people giving you unsolicited advice all the time.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I know when I was younger, I was very insecure and very scared about being a parent.

I felt like I should not be trusted with this great task and found the weight of responsibility that was placed upon my shoulders quite staggering.

When I was younger, before I gave my life to Jesus, I used to go out and drink when I had a chance to do so. I wanted to kick up my heels, forget the problems and responsibilities, and had no idea how to do that without going out to party.

The problem with that, was that the next day all the problems were still there and were even more difficult to handle with a hangover.

I suppose people go at drug or alcohol addictions in all kinds of ways. I have heard success stories because of meetings, treatment, having God help, and sometimes even all three.

I am not the most focused person in the world, but I could see to go forward and have the life I wanted to have, I was going to have to let go of things that hindered me.

The very hardest thing for me to let go of was people.

It always seemed so selfish to leave people behind, and I never wanted to be a selfish person.

Whenever I think of letting go of people who are hindering me, I always get this picture in my mind of people drowning in a giant sea, and me standing there letting them wave their arms begging for help, while I walk along the beach ignoring their cries.

There are for sure, many people in this life who make not-so-healthy decisions and continually want someone to bail them out of the problems that follow.

About the time we let go of those people, we have the ones who come along and want to change our minds about our goals, and most everything we believe.

Ultimately, I have one person I am going to have to explain myself to, and that’s God. I always have that in the forefront of my mind.

With Love, Mom

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Could your relationship issue be over Fret? A candid little story about me….

February 18, 2019February 21, 2019 Laura GraceLeave a comment

fear and worry

I had a lot on my mind, the other day. My Mom broke her hip, the weather was terrible, and I didn’t know how we could even go see her. She broke her other hip last year, and hadn’t even recovered from that yet! Here we’ve been praying for her to fully recover when “Wham,” another bad suprise happens.

We live in a rural area where it’s bitter could outside, and it’s been snowing like crazy. My husband had back pain, my road was unplowed and I could not get out to help Mom’s husband, and the list of “Things to be afraid about,” just kept piling up.

Like a good Christian Girl, I put it all in God’s hands. I prayed and made my petitions known, got centered in peace, and went about my business.

Later that day, I decided to make a pot of soup for my husband, a type of soup he’d requested, not too long ago. My reason for this was to do the only thing I could do to make someone’s life a little better that day.

I”m a woman of Faith, so I did not believe for a minute, I was fretting. Had you told me I was, I would have said, “No, actually, I’m not.”

Deep down however, I must have been fretting, and I know this, because I lashed out at my husband when he didn’t compliment me on the soup. Was it because I was greedy for compliments? No! The sad thing is, he lashed back at me, and why?

Because he was fretting as well. We did not need hours of counselling to find out why we squabbled, all we needed was a bit of understanding as to what was happening. And the big problem was……………….

We were both Fretting!

God made me aware that fretting was the awful culprit behind me lashing out at him, (for not saying the soup was good), and that he was fretting about whether he could finish his tasks with the pain he was having, and more snow on the horizon.

The truth is, just a bit of fretting can lead to hostility, and barking at the ones we love, for almost no apparent reason, at all. How do we stop it? By being honest with ourselves, that’s how! “I”m concerned and a little worried because”_____(fill in the blank), is a humble approach that will lead to Grace from God, in our hour of need.

I wonder how many people we meet in life who are cranky, crabby, lash out at us, act rude toward us, or even just drive badly at times, are fretting over something, and possibly even lashing out as a result?

Words like, “I’m sorry, I had a lot on my mind, I didn’t mean to lash out at you,” are good and healing words to say, (once we realize what has happened.)

fear Fretting leads to worry, and can even lead us into fear, and then anger, (and eventual harm to relationships.) It’s so simple, yet true!

Sometimes a good solution is to admit it, have a good laugh about it, and then quit!

With Love and hopes for your good (fret-free) day.

-Laura Grace

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.”

Psalm 37:8

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Don’t Let What is Happening become “Who you Are!” (A word from God today)

January 6, 2019January 6, 2019 Laura GraceLeave a comment

I was feeling defeated, sad, overcome by all the things that have been happening, here lately. It reminded me of a wind storm, that every time I got all the debris picked up from one storm, another one came right behind it. Most of these were emotional storms, but some are storms of very real circumstances. I’d been praying about it (all) for the last few days, and today the Lord spoke to my heart these words:

“Don’t allow what is happening to become who you are.”

I didn’t understand at first, but he continued: “You feel rejected, that does not mean you are rejected.” Likewise, you can feel sick, but you can still say “Thank you Father I’m healed.” “Sick” is not who you are! IN Me you are healed, in me you are chosen, in me you are not rejected, in me you are not broken-hearted (that’s not who you are) even though you may feel broken-hearted, right now.

Oh, I get it Lord! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corn 5:17). It’s not lying to say I am healed (when you feel sick) or to say “I’m chosen” when you are obviously being or even feeling rejected. It’s not a lie to say “I AM God’s child” when someone is saying you are my child, and “if you don’t act like you think I should, I”m gonna disown you. ”

You can be considered a good friend to God, while someone may feel you have been the worst friend ever, God thinks you are a good servant, while at the same time, some may question your serving abilities. We are a work in progress! The prosecuting attorney that comes at us and has to Point out “You still look sick to me, you still look weak to me, and you look pretty broken and rejected to me,” is the devil himself.

We don’t need reminders of what we are not, we need reminders of WHO WE REALLY ARE!! So if nobody will do it for you, “remind yourself” who you are in Jesus. You are not only loved but Chosen, Treasured, Valued, qualified, not rejected, and maybe a work-in-progress, but a treasured work (of His) none-theless. Do not forget WHO YOU ARE (In HIM). Remind the devil of it daily! People who believe for good things in themselves, tend to manifest good things! People who believe bad things will manifest that as well. Trust me, I know. I’ve done both.

Love to you all! Laura Grace