…….As Only Your Mama Can
It has been awhile….it’s time to start back up….
P is for Personal, Prudent
and Possession.
P is for Personal
One of my favorite quotes
from “You Got Mail” is when Meg Ryan says to Tom Hanks, “
Joe
Fox:
It wasn't... personal.
Kathleen Kelly: What is that
supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn't
personal to you. But it was personal to me. It's *personal* to a lot of people.
And what's so wrong with being personal, anyway?
Kathleen Kelly: Whatever else
anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.
“Whatever else anything is, it
ought to begin by being personal.”
If part of the reason we exist
is to share the light of the Lord with others, then we have to learn to be
personal with others. Personal in a good
and Godly way. Personal in a caring and
real way. But, personal, all the same.
But, I think today, we confuse
being personal with being public. Yes, I
am a fan of Facebook and other media opportunities, and honestly, I enjoy
sharing and being shared with. I like
that you can renew friendships with others you have not seen in many years,
that you can learn of prayer requests, celebrations, and the like. But, I am not fooled. All this sharing may be personal in nature at
times, but it is not authentic “personal”.
That kind of personal involves
a mutual joining in life….
And, that takes a sharing of
heart.
My prayer for you as you move
through life is that God will bring others into your life with whom you can be
personal….real….authentic and that in that sharing, you are edified, built up,
encouraged and that you return the same to others.
I pray that your personal life
starts with a holiness which can only come from God…one where you have laid
bare to yourself the truth of yourself. God
understands this…”If you hold up to My teaching….you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free.”
And, your Mama has learned
this….it….Truth….starts with you.
So, I encourage you…take a Personal
Inventory with yourself and your life.
Are you living in truth with yourself? With God? With others? Or, do you live a double-life?
We learned this semester in Dr.
Strong’s class that we as individuals seek to be one with ourselves, and the
more we can do that, the healthier we become.
It is called….Congruence. It’s
when the real self, the perceived self and the ideal self all come together in
one. It is never really achieved, but a
goal to be strived for.
And, I promise you this,
baby….you cannot get to that place without God taking you there. He can take you to places within your own
human-ness that you have never been before….
If you but ask
Ask
P is for Prudent
Do you know what prudent
means?
Carefully considering
consequences: using good judgment to consider likely consequences and act
accordingly
Careful in managing
resources: careful in managing resources so as to provide for the future
Prudent, as a word, is rarely
used, but it is such a good and worthy word.
“The simple believe anything,
but the prudent give thought to their steps.”
Proverbs 14:15
The world seems to think the
concept of being “prudent” is boring and dull and lifeless….that managing
anything is a waste of time and energy and robs you of fun. But, I ask you this…
Go take an inventory of your
times of prudence and think about how you feel…
For example, * Prudence in
saving money……managing money
* Prudence in not
calling in to skip work…
* Prudence in spending
time with good friends who uplift and support goodness
* Prudence in letting go of things
which harm you and embracing things which Bless
Now, take time and consider
those times where you were not prudent…I won’t list them here for obvious
reasons, but how did those times make you feel?
I know in my own life, I am much more blessed when I have been prudent
than when I have been fool-hardy.
Prudence is not boring. Prudence just means that you care about
yourself to work toward the best for your life…and, for others. It means that you value your time on this
earth enough to want it to be quality time.
You value your time with others that you want it to be time well-spent.
When you make poor decisions,
you feel poorly. Maybe not at first…but,
eventually.
When you make wise and good
decisions, you feel good. Maybe not at
first…but eventually.
Be Prudent in your life….
You will look back and be
grateful….
Prudence Protects.
Trust Mama on this one.
And, finally……
P is for Possession
God is pretty clear…”Watch
Out! Be on your guard against all kinds
of greed; Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15
Possessions cannot make you
happy, they do not give you peace nor do they make you feel loved.
In fact, the older I get, the
fewer possessions I want….
And, those few I do want are
those of great value to my heart….My Daddy’s Bible, My mother’s quilt made just
for me, the letters Ian writes to me, the picture of me and you and the
Mother’s day notes from you children.
And, honestly, I suspect that
as I draw closer to “home”, that even those things will not be as
meaningful…that eventually, all which will really matter will be possessions
which are captured in my heart…
The love of my parents,
husband and children.
Wasn’t Mr. Oldach’s funeral
beautiful? And, it was not the flowers
which made it beautiful, or the surrounding of the building. It was not even the beloved family and
friends who were there….
What made it beautiful was
the truth which was spoken about him….about his life…
And, that, more than any
single possession is what I wish for you.
I challenge you….look around
yourself…your room…your car…
Are you bogged down with
material possessions? Would you feel
better…more alive…if you shed some of your physical belongings and exchanged
them for heart-possessions such as teaching a child to read, holding a sick
baby, visiting the sick…
Attending a friend’s funeral,
putting your arm around a woman-friend, putting your toes in the water with a
friend…
Possessions are just tools
God allows us to use as we enjoy our lives, to share with others, to foster
opportunities to be a light…
Because, at the end of the
day, you will be sans possessions….
So, I encourage you…think
about that as you live your life…..and, keep only what you need and let go of
what weighs you down.
One thing you can count on…..
At the end of the day, you
want your greatest possession…your greatest treasure….your greatest keepsake to
be….
A heart for HIM….
ILYAOYMC,
Blessings,
Mama
