Category Archives: One Minute Wisdoms

Simplifying Life … Are you Juggling too Much?

I wrote this short piece 7 or 8 years ago when I began working on simplifying my life.  Perhaps it will put into words a little of how you feel each day?

The Juggler

I'm a pretty good juggler… not of balls, but of activities.  I'm great at multi-tasking.  I thrive on excitement and the adrenaline rush that making the attempt to juggle six balls at once gives.  Or perhaps I should say, I used to enjoy it.

I found myself trying every method I could think of to get that sixth ball into the air.  I was pretty good up until five.  But that sixth ball didn't just drop to the ground alone, it always took three or four other balls with it.

That's because I had exceeded my limits.

It didn't matter how hard I tried or what order I arranged the balls in.  It didn't matter how I got them going or how slowly I added each one in, at least half of them dropped to the ground when I went past my capability.

I felt guilty all the time.

No matter which balls I had in the air at one time, there were always one or two or three that were laying at my feet on the ground.  My efforts were never enough to master the task and feel successful.

What if I had realized that my limit was five?  Would I have been successful more often, but still tired and worn out?  It takes a lot of concentration and energy to juggle five balls!

What if I had the confidence and boldness to be satisfied with juggling only four balls… one under my achievable maximum?  Would I have felt guilty for doing less than my best?  Less than was possible, or would I have rediscovered that juggling could be fun?

Do you know your limits?

Are you comfortable with the thought that you have limits?  Do you know what your natural limits are and how to work within them?   In reality, all of us have limitations.  We're good at some things and struggle with others.  All of us, even the least creative among us, can dream up more things that we would love to do than we'll ever be capable of accomplishing.

Remember back in the Garden of Eden?  Mankind was created with two special gifts that have since been lost, perfection and eternity.  We still long for perfection.  Watch a two year old child trying to master a new skill, and you'll see his or her innate awareness of perfection and frustration that he or she isn't capable of achieving it!  At the core of almost every human's heart is a hunger to be perfect.  We all long to live a perfect life, to perfectly achieve the tasks that are attempted, and to live in perfect control of our homes or work lives.  Yet, the reality is that not one of us is capable of perfection… excellence yes, perfection no.  Living within our limits means setting excellence as a goal and letting go of unrealistic expectations of perfection.

Time is a finite boundary and limitation for every one of us.  We each are given the same 24 hours per day, 168 hours per week and 8,736 hours per year.   Yet our imaginations are still the same ones God created us with and they have no boundaries!  We can imagine amazing things… but rarely do we have the time to do all we can think of.  In reality, we are creatures of eternity that have been placed within the confines of time.  We can never do all we can think, or hope, or dream of doing.  Time will always be our enemy, because we weren't initially created to live under it's tyrannical rule.  Accepting time's limitations on our lives is a vital part of simplifying those lives.

My goal each day, with the 24 hours that have been entrusted into my care, is to wisely select the tasks I invest that precious time in.  I want my time to yield great fruitfulness for the Lord and for my family.  Because of this, I try to select my activities with eternity in mind, so that what I achieve with time will last beyond time into eternity.  How about you?

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

To Guilt or not to Guilt?!

From the comments I've received about my feature "Saying No," it's a subject that most of us are struggling with.  It's really hard for most of us to say "no" even if we know it's the right thing to do and the biggest reason why is that we feel guilty.   I've decided to spend all week writing about this a little each day.

The model for how I live life, at least as much as humanly possible, is Christ and how he lived his earthly life.  He who was capable of healing anyone whe stepped in front of him… didn't.  Who could have fed the masses every day of his life, only did it twice.  He stopped.  He rested.  He went away to be alone.  Why did he do that, was he just "over the crowds?"  Had he had it with those foolish unbelieving masses?  Or did he come away to be alone with God and be refreshed, recharged and sent back out again to do what he had been called to do?

The first principle in guilt reduction is this… "God is God and I am not."  It sounds very silly, but sometimes we take on a role that's just too darn big for us to handle.  Jesus was all powerful but he said, "The poor you will have with you always."  He knew that while on earth he had the limitations of any other human in terms of energy, strength, and stamina.  He chose his daily tasks carefully, seeking to do that which would yield the greatest fruitfulness.  He chose to do only what he first saw his father in heaven do and speak only what he heard his father in Heaven speak.  He left a lot of possible "good" tasks undone in order to pursue purely the "best."

If you seek to accomplish the best possible use of your time, where you function the best and yield the best fruit in the lives of others around you, you'll have to leave a lot of "good" things undone.  Knowing your limits, just like Jesus did, helps you to make those decisions in wisdom and not in human emotion (i.e. guilt!)  Let me use an example from my own life.

We have a wonderful lady at our church who is involved in prison ministry to young girls and is also very involved in the drama club for the kids.  She's fabulous at it, the productions are marvelous and the kids adore her.  I was standing outside the building one morning when they were calling people in to a drama club meeting.  It's a very small church so they were meeting in our sanctuary.  I had to run into the use the restroom (and had to go through the sanctuary to get there) and I JUST KNEW that this lovely lady would put me on the spot when I went inside… but I had to go!  So I stopped and thought out my answer in advance.

Sure enough, when I walked in the back of the church, she shouted out to me, "Come on Audrey, join us!  We could sure use you!  I know you're a busy lady, with a crazy schedule, but we're doing this drama production to serve God.  I know you want to serve Him"  I responded in this manner, "Yes, I'm busy, but that isn't why I'm not participating in the drama club.  My gifts aren't in the area of drama or singing.  I know that I'm not called to be involved in drama, and that I am called to be involved in the Marriage Ministry here for the young couples.  If I devoted my time to the drama club, I wouldn't have the time or energy required to do the Marriage ministry that I know God has called me to do.  Thanks for asking me though, I'm flattered."

Knowing who you are involves finding what you're good at and often involves discovering what you're NOT!  What are your gifts?  What is easy for you to do that isn't easy for someone else?  What can you do that no one else can do?  What are you doing that someone else (or many someone elses) could do?  What do you do that produces good fruit in other's lives?  What do you enjoy doing — and conversely what do you not enjoy and find yourself chaffing over?  What makes your heart leap with joy?  When you figure that out you're half way there. 

Eliminating some things that you're just not good at and removing them from your list of possible places to serve can be very helpful.  I can't sing.  I have about a 6 note range…. period!  So when the call for choir or other singing involved commitments is made I can safely rule them out for me.  I don't cook particularly well, nor do I love doing it, so when serving on a committee to do the food for one of our major events comes up it's probably not something that God is going to ask me to do.  However, I don't rule it totally out because He may want me to simply be there as a one time service perhaps even just to be involved in set up, tear down and cleaning up… but it's not likely He'd call me to do it as an ongoing ministry.

God made us for a purpose.  Discovering that purpose and the gifts that go with it, become a way to discover the path we're to walk on.  When we walk on the path God has called us to, there is joy in the service.  It isn't possible to walk on two paths at once.  We feel torn apart when we try to walk someone else's path or the path that they think we should be walking rather than the path that has been assigned to us.  When it is settled in your own heart, as mine was about drama, even someone who's really good at pushing your guilt buttons won't be able to!  When you serve the Lord first, serving others becomes much easier to do without guilt and conflicts.

If I tried to walk out my friend at church's path, I would be exhausted and drained at the end of each day.  My natural skills might allow me to do it pretty well, but my spiritual gifting wouldn't come into play and it wouldn't be very fruitful in the long run.  If she tried to do the intense counseling that our marriage ministry entails, she would probably do okay, but likewise be drained and exhausted and feeling very much unsatisfied because God has called her to be a different part of the body.  

Jesus says to you, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for i am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden light.  Matthew 11:28-30"

More later…

Audrey Jeanne Roberts  

 

And the Winner is….. drumroll!

Deb "Itsmee" from the Daisie Boards won the prize in the drawing this morning.  Thanks so very much to her and all of you that participated.  It will be a monthly feature, so keep that in mind and when you read something that you think would benefit someone special your lives, please pass the link on (and then tell me you did, so I can enter you).

I'm working on a craft project that I will post here, maybe as early as tomorrow, so check back in!  I'll have a template and instructions on making a wall hanging with Pabric (or other printable fabrics).  I'll be making it out of kits that are already available from Daisie Company, but will make a mini kit of the design elements available separately in case you don't already own the graphics to create it.

On another note.  I wanted to mention the incredible sense of community that has developed in the past year at The D.A.I.S.I.E. Company and especially in the Message Board Forum.  In a world where we can live next door to people for 5 years and barely know their names, it is amazing to discover the loving, caring, fun relationships that have developed between the women there.  My husband and I have talked about it quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that in many ways, it's similar to centuries ago when the women would have gathered together at the river's edge to do their laundry together.  Or perhaps more like an 18th century weekly quilting bee.  Often times there would be nothing more than a little bantering and playful conversation, but when one woman was hurting all would gather around and help bear the load emotionally and prayerfully.

We have women literally from around the world, that are gathering at the river's edge throughout the day, to share the events of their daily lives and to support one another.  I think that there's little difference in the quality of those relationships because they're "cyber" relationships… except that we don't get the joys of holding a hand, wiping a tear and giving a hug except with the thoughtfulness of our words. 

One of our members, Sue (OzSue) from Australia, recently had been missing from our midst.  It was noticed, shared, wondered about and then last night discovered that she and her husband had suffered the loss of his mother unexpectedly.  Our community worked.  We noticed.  We cared.  We reached out to make a difference.  Take a moment today to think about those who share your lives in both your day-to-day world and elsewhere.  Is anyone missing?  Is anyone suffering through a challenging time?  Does someone need a hug?  If so think about what you can do to draw close and lighten their load.  That's community in action.

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

Life Isn’t Fair, So What Do We Do About It?

When my children were young, they were constantly saying, "That isn't fair!"  And as their parents, our usual response was something to the tune of, "Life isn't fair, sweetheart.  Expect it, get used to it, and be prepared to keep going on past it."  It's a very easy thing to say when the child's unfair situation is that their brother got a bigger piece of cake than they did!  It's a little tougher to deal with unfairness when unrighteous, unkind or even evil people unfairly bring damage to our lives… what do we do then?

"Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child instead…"  That's an old fashioned saying I have held close to my heart for years.  Sometimes, when I face those sudden, painful, unfair "twists of fate," that constitute a storm, I find myself hurt and angry at God.  After all He is big enough, powerful enough and all-knowing enough to have stopped the event, so why didn't He? 

There's two things I love the most about God, one is that He's big enough to take my petty temper tantrums and love me anyway, yet like any great parent, He never lets me get away with them.  He always has a lesson to teach me that will probably be best taught right in the classroom of my current storm.  The second thing I love about God is He loves to redeem things… in other words, to take something meant for evil and transform it into such incredible goodness that I'm almost happy the event took place.  That doesn't mean I'm ever happy something bad happened, but I am able to see the beauty that came after it happened because of God's strength, love and care for me. 

If you're struggling with something today that "Just isn't fair!"  I'm praying the Lord will do something incredible in the midst of your storm.  And He will bring such beauty and blessing that you're amazed and delighted when you get to the other side of the stormy seas.  If you're struggling, perhaps praying this prayer from the depths of your heart will help: 

"Lord, I don't understand what has happened in my life.  It doesn't seem right or fair to me, and I can't even imagine how you could make something good out of this problem I'm facing, but I'm asking you to do so.  Show me your strength, power and lovingkindness through this situation.  Help me to be righteous when others around me aren't, to be strong in faith when all the foundations of my world are swaying and to see your plan in the midst of such overwhelming darkness and stormy seas." 

"Lord, I want to learn to see the possibilities for good that you can bring through any situation that I am placed in.  I want to see things like you see them, seeing the possibilities not just the devastation in front of me… but unless you teach me and enable me, it isn't possible.  Lord, I trust you and I love you.  Please put your hand in mine and let's go walk through this storm together because you promised you'd never leave me or forsake me."

I'm praying for you today and if I could give you a giant bear hug of comfort I would Smile

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

 

 

 

Family, Friend or Both?

I woke up to a call from my sister, Nancy this morning.  It was one of those "catch up" calls.  There are some wonderful things happening in her life, after a very long season of heartache and loss.  We think of her all the time and vice versa, but don't always get to the phone to connect.  Yet the most amazing thing is that it's always as if no time at all had passed, because we're connected at the heart.

I'm so blessed to have members of my family that I would truly pick to be my friends even if they weren't stuck with me Laughing, but I know some of you aren't quite so lucky.  Before you get jealous of my "perfect" family, however, trust me we too have some slightly "irregular" members!!!  What do you do when no matter how hard you try, you can't be close to your family?  You can find ways to create a new one for yourself!

Friends can, over time, become closer to your heart than a brother or sister.  There's an old fashioned saying, "Friends are family we choose for ourselves."  Perhaps you just don't quite connect with members of your family or you've found nothing but hurt and frustration whenever you've tried to be close.  Perhaps the solution is to seek deep fellowship elsewhere and readjust your expectations from the relationships you have with your blood relatives.  

I have many friends that I truly consider as family and have enjoyed relationship with their extended families as well.  I've shared Thanksgiving with my dear friend Sallylou's family, as well as attended funerals, weddings and graduations.  She's walked me through the long battle with cancer and the eventual death of my first husband, Jim Brennan.  She's held my hand in sorrow and kicked me in the backside when I was throwing a pity party and really needed it!  She's been as true a sister as you could ever have.  Though we share no blood relation, we are sisters of the heart and of the spirit.  Just as every family takes hard work and a long season of time to grow strong, so do friendships.  A great friendship can meet the deepest needs of your heart.

I wrote this in the beginning of my book, "The Heart of a Lasting Friendship" :

"Lifetime Friends… share their hopes and dreams, never worrying what the other thinks.  They keep each other's confidences providing a safe place to reveal their deepest fears and most heartfelt emotions.  They discover new insights and direction and are refreshed and encouraged after they spend time together.

They can laugh and be silly, giggle and play practical jokes, as well as cry together and comfort one another.  They value each other's opinion, especially when they differ.  Lifetime friends have learned how to be real with each other."

If you have family that you feel are true friends… take time to tell them that today.  If you have a true friend that is closer than a sister or mother… take time to tell her that too!  If you don't have either and your heart longs for it, Jesus' greatest desire is to be your friend and He'll lead you to someone who can help fill that place in your heart if you just ask Him to. 

"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  Proverbs 18:24b"

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

 

 

 

Family Heirlooms, Crafted with Love

I'm an "Antiques Road Show" fan.  It's fascinating to see the amazing array of things that are collectible and valuable and the various ways they came into the possession of the current owner.  I'm jealous of those of you in the midwest and east with spacious basements and attics.  We in the west don't have them, so we don't end up owning the family "junk" of one generation that becomes the treasure of the next!  I especially love when the show reveals that something is extremely valuable, yet the owner would never part with it because of how much they love and treasure the memory of the person that gave it to them.

If an item comes from someone we deeply loved, we call it an heirloom.  We cultivate respect and love for it and the person who made it, or gave it to us, by sharing their stories with our children.  Through this process of family storytelling, they too come to love and treasure it and pass it down to their generations.  If it is merely old or came from a crotchity old aunt of ours, we call it an antique and we just might part with it for the right price!  The difference isn't the item it's the relationship…

You that are crafters, every piece of creativity that you make (and for the most part give away) has the potential to be an heirloom to your children and your children's children.  They watch you put your heart and soul into its making.  They see you express all the love that you feel in the delicate care you take in your creations.  Sometimes even the content of your creations, such as scrapbooks or quilts or framed sentiments are full of messages of love.  A beautifully detailed, hand-made card or minibook will probably never be thrown away.  It will be tucked away to bring back the priceless memories of you.  The work of your hands will continue to communicate your love, for generations to come.  Remember that as you play in your craft room.  You're not just playing, you're doing very important work… you're creating heirlooms of the future for your family to treasure and keep!  Audrey Jeanne Roberts

Will This Matter in Twenty Years?

Are you "crazy busy?"  Do you race from task to task without pausing for a breath and fall into bed at the end of the day worrying about what you have to do tomorrow?  Are you afraid that the life that is racing past you seems to hold less and less meaningful memories and more and more stress?  If so, you're not alone.  I think often about how I can live a legacy, so I can leave that legacy to my children and my generations yet to come. For me that means working to do more each day that will matter for longer than this day.

My friend, Karla Dornacher and I laugh so often at how our lives perfectly track with one another even when we don't talk for a month at a time.  Here's a quote from her February 12th, 2007 blog post, which I read at about 1:30 this morning because I couldn't get to sleep:

"I recently heard a speaker talk about how a common thread woven through our culture is busyness. It sometimes seems as though we wear our busyness as a crown… as though an overly full schedule validates us as a person of value in today's world. The reality is we are all busy and our lives are full… sometimes so full we forget to stop… not to smell the roses… but to love, encourage, and delight in the people God has sovereignly placed along our life path."

You can find the entire post here: karladornacher.typepad.com/karlas_korner/2007/02/this_is_cindy_t.html

This simple question that the Lord taught me to ask myself some years ago has done more to help me move along the path to living a life that matters than any other:

WILL THIS MATTER IN TWENTY YEARS?  If so, do it with all your heart, if not find a way to do it quickly or perhaps not at all.  When raising children, its important to clean the house, but maybe it will matter more that you took them out to play in the snow and made memories (and perhaps even scrapbooking those memories) that will be treasured for a lifetime.  Perhaps it was stopping to teach them a lesson about telling the truth when they were caught in a lie, because the character that you are helping to develop in them will matter in twenty years.  Perhaps it's taking time to sit with your husband at the end of the day and just talk or hang with each other, even if it means the dishwasher doesn't get loaded.

Are your kids making noise and getting under foot because they can't go outside and play — which means you can't get your list accomplished today?  Will it matter in twenty years whether the laundry got folded today or tomorrow morning?  Probably not… but it will matter if your children or husband feel the list is more important to you than they are. 

After twenty years or so of putting this into practice, I can tell you I've discovered that relationships with family and friends and the tasks that build them will always matter in twenty years.  However, any work I do to feel important, or because I just can't say no, or because I feel I "should" or feel the pressure of guilt rarely will.  Also, if knowing God better and making Him more real to others is part of the task, it's always going to matter

The most satisfying part of learning to ask myself this question has been hearing my children ask it back to me!  Or hearing my daughter's boyfriend ask her, when she's stressing over some unimportant detail in her life.  That's a legacy worth passing on.  Try asking yourself this question the next few days and see how it changes your perspective! 

1 Cor 3:12-15  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

 

Giving the Benefit of the Doubt

I have been thinking about this topic all week long and then my dear friend Stacey got "shoulded" on… as in "How dare you make a mistake you should have…"  Someone took offense at a simple mistake, and hurt someone precious to everyone at D.A.I.S.I.E. Company.  Why is it easier for people get angry at an inconvenience and feel put out than to choose to be kind and understanding?  Perhaps these kinds of things happen too easily in our society because we've lost the genteel art of "giving someone the benefit of the doubt."

Do you remember hearing that phrase when you were growing up?  I do.  It was a common place, communal wisdom.  Do you remember hearing it lately?  I haven't.

Giving the benefit of the doubt.  It's as simple as assuming the best about someone, rather than jumping to the worst possible conclusion.  Taking a moment to stop and try to put yourself in someone else's shoes.  To give the same grace you would like to have given back to you.  These are some precious foundation stones of civility in society and they are stones that are all too often missing and we wonder why that foundation is crumbling.

Whether in the political arena or in community relationship it's a precious skill that builds bridges rather than walls.  In politics someone can be "sincerely wrong" and you can still be friends because you don't have to doubt their sincerity.  You can dispute a conclusion without having to destroy an individual. A leader can be wrong and not be evil.  I wish our political realm would remember this principle and begin to apply it to our national debates… and I wish we could apply it to our workplaces and our homes a little more too.

Sometimes we take things personally that really don't have anything to do with us at all (like children we all feel like we're the center of the universe!)  The next time someone lets you down, try saying something like this, "Oh I know you didn't mean to offend or dissapoint me, I know your heart, you would never do anything like that on purpose.  It's no big deal."  You just might make someone's day! 

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

Live a Legacy, Leave a Legacy

"I’ve already stated that I scrap for me.  Well, that’s partially true.  I scrap for me out of my own selfish desires not to leave my descendants hanging.  I want to solve all the mysteries, answer all the questions, anticipate the needs that they will have once I have moved on to the next level of my journey.  It is that passion, that drive, that inherent need that compels me to sit at my computer day after day and immortalize my world (or at least my view of it) so that my children and grandchildren can know me."

This quote came from a scrap page by Cherrie Webb.  I saw it yesterday on a yahoo group called, Computer Scrapping and asked her permission to quote it.

It made me think…   What passions, what lessons learned, what life experiences are worthy of passing on as a legacy to my grandchildren, yet to be born?  If I want to leave a legacy, I have to LIVE a legacy.  How do I do that?  How then can I pass that legacy on to my generations?  This will take a lot more than a single post to process…

My dear friend, Kathy Cornford, who passed away in June after a 10 year battle with breast cancer lived a legacy.  Her character was so beautiful that she imprinted it upon the hearts of her children and grandchildren in a thousand different ways.  She loved deeply, selflessly, she fought her cancer hard, but with a great realism that prepared each family member to face what none hoped would ever come, but did. 

But Kathy did something else… she wrote.  She kept a daily bible study and prayer journal that she left behind her.  Her husband is treasuring reading it and is actually coming to know more about his wife of 40 years, than he did before.  Her love was evidenced more powerfully in the hidden places of her private life than even those who knew her best could have imagined.  She has left a piece of the depths of her soul to be treasured by generations yet to be born.

 

 

Live a legacy.. Leave a legacy… write your inmost thoughts about everyday affairs (don't worry if you're not a "great" writer) your family wants to know you — the real you!  For it's you that they treasure…  

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

Make it Valentine’s Week! (Freebie)

(UPDATE: freebies are for a limited time only.  This link no longer functions.  Check back later for other special gifts). Rather than save all your special goodies for one day, why not spread them out over the entire week, both before and after Valentine’s Day?   I wanted to share an idea I had.  It started a couple of years ago…Free download

I wanted to do something really special for my husband (who is a dream boat!!!)  He buys me 2 or 3 cards at a time and hides them in places where I will randomly find them for no occasion at all… I’m hopelessly behind, how can you compete with that?  So, I got on my little computer and designed an "I love you because…." layout.  Then I took the time to think about every single thing I loved about him and hid these little notes all over the house, his office, his truck, in his toolbox, and anywhere he could stumble onto them.  I even hid a few "spicey" ones where he was the only one who could come across them Smile  (She blushes profusely Embarassed!)

Just yesterday I had to go into his bible case to find something and guess what I found hidden there?!  He’s still carrying them all these years later. 

You can make a different color design for every member of your family and write all the special things that you can think of about each one… a compliment based on the truth of one’s character can encourage someone FOR A LIFETIME!  Take the time to share them today!

Click on the image, then right click on the image that comes up and choose where you want to save it to.  Then choose go back to come back here!  Freebies come under Daisie Company’s angel policy.  See link to Daisie if you need to know what those terms are.  Enjoy!

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

 

Refrigerator Art

Someone at a company I design product for, once asked me what motivated me to work such long hours to create my art.  I answered him, "I create refrigerator art for my Heavenly Father!"  He looked at me a little strangely, laughed and said, "You're going to have to explain that one to me."

"Well," I said, "If I worked for the praise and adulation of the manufacturers I design for or the store owners that buy the product or even the retail customers that are going to buy it for their homes or to give as gifts, I'm going to be totally disappointed.  Not because they don't appreciate it, but because I rarely ever hear from them."

"If I work to reach some pinnacle of glory and honor that's hard to define and even harder to reach, I'm going to become one sick puppy!  When I reach the mountain top I'm aiming for, I'll just look beyond and see a dozen peaks that are higher yet.  I've been blessed to design for many of the companies that have been on my wish list for years and have enjoyed each opportunity, yet it's hard to remember today what I did last month, last year or the last decade.  It's fun for the moment but it doesn't satisfy for a lifetime and beyond."

"So," I told him, "When I sit down in my art studio and begin to paint, I create art that my 'Daddy' will hang proudly on His refrigerator and point out to anyone who drops by saying, 'That's my kid, isn't she great?  Look what she made for me today!'  I find the greatest satisfaction when I create for an audience of one. "

"At the end of the day I hear Him whispering to my heart, 'Did you do your best?  If you did and you did it for me and not for the praise of man, then it's good enough to hang in my throne room!  Come curl up in my lap and tell me about your day." 

That word picture can apply to your life as well.  Do you work for the praise of your spouse or your boss?  For a raise or a promotion?  Do you work hard and no one seems to notice or tell you, "Thank you."  Do you work hard to make your family a success and all you get are the ungrateful whines of your children?  If you're discouraged, think of my little word picture and do your work as a gift to God that you will hand Him at the end of the day and see how it changes your motivation and satisfaction.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  Col 3:23-24 NIV" 

Audrey Jeanne Roberts

 

Making Valentine’s Day Special

 

It takes thoughtful planning to make the day special for the ones you love.  Whether you buy or make a card, plan a special dinner or whisk someone away for a special evening.  It's not hard to think of fun things to do when you have someone who is dear to you to share the day with… but what about those around us who don't?

We have very special plans for our Valentine's Day this year.  I'm "whisking" Steve away to take him up the mountain to Hume Lake Christian Conference Center for a quick 2 day, 1 night get away.  Sounds romantic (and it will be), but we have a greater purpose in mind.  We're sharing our Valentine's Day with a dear friend who lost his wife of 40 years (and the love of his life) to Breast Cancer last June.  We don't want him to be alone this Valentine's Day, so we will spend the evening with him sharing memories of Kath and how special a woman she was. 

We love Floyd very much and Kathy was one of the most special people I've ever had the privilege to know in my lifetime… all of us grieve her loss almost daily.  We're looking forward to hugging Floyd, praying with him and encouraging him to continue on in this adventure of life.  We can feel Kathy looking down and cheering us on.

Who is there in your life that will be alone and perhaps feeling unloved this Valentine's Day?  Is there a 20 something that has never had a relationship and fears she never will?  Is there a woman who was widowed some years ago?  Is there someone who is in the throes of a painful divorce?  Look around and ask the Lord to show you one person who really needs to know that they are loved and that they are special to someone.  Perhaps in doing so it will be one of your best Valentine's Days ever.

"Keep on loving each other as brothers (and sisters Laughing).  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels withoug knowing it.  Hebrews 13:1-2 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great one!

Audrey Jeanne Roberts