But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his
appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
One of the places that I find myself, and you might
as well, is looking at people and shaking my head. That is when I don’t understand the decisions
they make or the reason for the situation they are in.
On Facebook I saw this comment, “don’t judge my
entire life book only based on the chapter you walked in on.” That means it is hard to deal with people
based on only a small portion of their life.
As humans we have a tendency to judge, to think we completely understand
and more.
Often that is the place where I realize my job is
simply to follow God in obedience and the love the people that I meet on my
journey. People shouldn’t judge me, and
I should not judge them. In
conversations I must share my heart. In
crisis situations I must serve and help.
In life I must love others the way Jesus loved them.
Life can be very difficult, but life is meant to be
enjoyed. I have to confess, as a friend
of mine shared, that the closer I get to God often the further I realize that I
am from Him. I want more of God. I want to enjoy His presence and His
peace.
That is a small piece of what is on my mind as the
weekend comes to a close and a new week begins.
The rest of this post is “Monday Mind Dump” where I will simply share
parts of last week, things running through my mind or heart, and some of what
is ahead of me and my family. I pray God
will use what I shared above or what I share from here will encourage you to
step closer to and enjoy God…
- Sure have enjoyed the time with my dad the past
several days, and I am looking forward to the next week of sharing life and
memories with Him.
- This was the first Thanksgiving without my mom, and
I have prayed much for my brothers and my dad.
The moments where I have remembered her have brought tears to my
eyes. I am so glad she is in heaven, but
I miss spending time with her.
- Hearing the testimony of JT Clarke and how his
family forgave the man who accidentally caused the death of his brother and
sister in law was incredible.
Forgiveness is powerful. Read a
newspaper article about this story HERE.
- I love my wife.
Watching her and our middle child cook on Thanksgiving was a
blessing. Julie doesn’t like to cook
often, but this was a precious day when she did. Our family time around the table and with my
dad was very sweet.
- Watching people at church speak to my dad Sunday
morning was touching. I so appreciate
their kindness and sincerity.
- Dealing with one of your children away at college
continues to be different and difficult.
I pray God’s protection on her and pray she falls more and more in love
with Jesus.
- I’ve recently been watching documentaries on the
Roosevelt family, Presidents Theodore and Franklin, and this has been very
interesting.
- Often my judgment of myself is skewed. I believe God said relax and just be
faithful. Cannot tell you have
refreshing that is. It was about a
specific area that I care deeply about but struggle with.
- It baffles me that so few people practice tithing
as the Bible calls us to do. I believe
it is my responsibility and an honor to give.
Try it. God has been so faithful.
- When a friend throws their arms around you to just
tell you they love you and appreciate you, hug back and enjoy it. We need each other.
- I am thankful that a friend of mine who has been in
the depths of destruction recently found their way out and is smiling again.
- Over the thanksgiving holiday it was so good to
listen to people talk about what they are thankful for. I heard many of the things I thought I would
hear but several also surprised me.
Great stuff!
- The Winter Warming Shelter in our community is
almost ready to open (supposed to be Tuesday or any day after that is below 32
degrees), and I love watching people step up to serve.
- I love watching my dad interact with my children,
his grandchildren. Cherishing the days
to come is my plan.
Have a great week, and may God bless and guide us as
we follow Him with passion!
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